Projecting Sam Leavitt's Junior Season With Arizona State

The potential Heisman candidate is in for a great season with the Sun Devils.
Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates after the Sun Devils defeat the Iowa State Cyclones and win the 2024 Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates after the Sun Devils defeat the Iowa State Cyclones and win the 2024 Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The best possible outcome that the Arizona State program and Kenny Dillingham could have hoped for came to fruition in the last year - the quarterback position is secured.

After Jaden Rashada flashed as a freshman in 2023, Dillingham still took a chance on a little-known transfer out of Michigan State by the name of Sam Leavitt.

Leavitt famously beat Rashada out before spring camp had even wrapped up - and the rest is history.

The former four star recruit took the Big 12 and the nation at-large by storm last season - accounting for 29 total touchdowns while catalyzing multiple victories on the way to the conference title.

There are still ways for the redshirt sophomore to improve despite all the promise that has been shown over the last year - Dillingham acknowledged that marked growth has been displayed during spring camp.

"He's starting to throw more check downs. I know he can throw it deep, everybody saw that. It's why he's on NFL draft boards. It's how do you manage down and distances? How do you take the easy plays?"

This coincides with what was said by SI writer Daniel Flick in a recent evaluation of the signal caller:

"Leavitt makes the game harder than it needs to be, but he also makes it more enjoyable. The rising redshirt sophomore has a strong arm and can drive bullets downfield. Tight windows are accessible to him, and he hits big plays routinely as a result. Leavitt is also a fluid, explosive athlete who’s potent at scrambling and extending plays, and he’s fast and elusive enough to be a factor in the option game."

If Leavitt has truly grown as a processor and in terms of simplifying the game, he could be due for a season that puts him in the Heisman Trophy conversation - especially with a dynamic weapons room that will be headlined by Jordyn Tyson, Kanye Udoh, Jaren Hamilton, Chamon Metayer, and others.

Dillingham and OC Marcus Arroyo should be thrilled that they get at least one more season to work with Leavitt - big things are coming for the Sun Devil program.

2025 Prediction: 3,600 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, 7 interceptions; 550 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns

Read more about Leavitt's potential future prospects at the professional level here.

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Kevin Hicks
KEVIN HICKS

Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.