Why Sam Leavitt Is Poised to Rejoin Heisman Conversation Soon

The Arizona State star faces an uphill climb to reach the goals he set for himself - but it is doable.

Sep 13, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt warms up before the game between Arizona State Sun Devils and Texas State Bobcats. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Sam Leavitt has been one of the most prominent figures of the last two seasons of college football. The Arizona State star burst onto the scene in the latter half of the 2024 season and looked to carry the rise to stardom into 2025.

It hasn't always been smooth sailing three games into the season - with a major point of struggle coming in the 24-20 loss to Mississippi State.

Sep 13, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) pregame against Texas State Bobcats at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

The loss and Leavitt's performance compounded into the consensus opinion in the aftermath of the game that the 20-year-old is, for all intents and purposes, out of the Heisman Trophy conversation.

While a 10-22 passing performance accompanied by two interceptions is certainly a low point of a season for any quarterback, Leavitt has the undeniable opportunity to re-establish himself as one of the best players at the position by season's end.

“Outrageous.”

🎮😤 Sam Leavitt and @ASUFootball pressed all the right buttons in your #CFB26 Play of The Week! pic.twitter.com/UuCr5cFCSF

— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) September 19, 2025

Why Leavitt Will Re-Enter Heisman Race

There are many reasons behind this train of thought - most blatantly is the upcoming potential for the Arizona State team to re-establish themselves as the power of the conference in the coming month.

The Sun Devils play Baylor, Texas Christian, Utah, and Texas Tech over the next four games - an undefeated or one-loss stretch once again sets the team up to repeat as champions. It also gifts Leavitt top-25 level competition to step up against and has the potential to make up for the Mississippi State game.

Next, Leavitt is simply an extremely marketable player that manages to create Heisman-worthy plays seemingly every game. While this is intangible and shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it ultimately does matter - Leavitt is certainly a quarterback that makes 'wow' plays look routine.

Lastly, OC Marcus Arroyo still holds incredible confidence in Leavitt and it can be assumed that the Sun Devil offense will only become more aggressive/explosive as the season moves on. A healthy, well-functioning Sun Devil offense truly makes the sky the limit for the rising redshirt sophomore.

Read more on major takeaways from players discussing the victory over Texas State in the post-game press conference here, and on how Arizona State fans should be feeling about the team heading into Big 12 play here.

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