How Sam Leavitt's Commitment to LSU Affects Clemson Tigers

The biggest transfer portal story throughout this cycle, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, announced his commitment, being a big factor for the Clemson Tigers.

Leavitt committed to LSU on Monday morning, according to multiple reports. The transfer means that the Tigers’ next quarterback will make his first start against Clemson at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5.

The rising junior was the No. 1 player in the transfer portal, choosing LSU over Texas Tech, Miami and Kentucky. He will join first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, who will look to put the country on notice with a star-studded team next season.

Leavitt’s commitment makes the implications for Clemson’s first game of next season, a pivotal one for head coach Dabo Swinney, even higher. All eyes will be on Kiffin and his quarterback’s chemistry during the first week of college football, let alone playing it at one of the loudest venues that the sport has to offer.

The transfer finished his career at Arizona State with over 4,500 yards and 46 total touchdowns, helping the Sun Devils reach a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, the same season as Clemson. Both squads shared a common loss to Texas to be knocked out of the 12-team tournament.

Perhaps events like College Gameday would occur to promote more fanfare for Kiffin and Leavitt’s debut with his new team, though nothing will be confirmed until the summer.

The matchup concludes a home-and-home series between LSU and Clemson from the 2025-26 season. The two teams met in a top-10 matchup on Aug. 30 at Memorial Stadium. The Bayou Bengals won 17-10 in what would be a contest between two Heisman frontrunners at the time, Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik.

Now, next year’s battle will be between Leavitt and either Christopher Vizzina or Chris Denson, unless Clemson makes a late decision to make a move for a starting quarterback in the portal, which seems unlikely.

The sequel will also see two different offensive coordinators. Clemson hired Chad Morris to fix its offensive struggles from last season, while Kiffin brought the offensive coordinator that he had with him at Ole Miss, Charlie Weis Jr. In what was a defensive battle in 2025 in South Carolina, perhaps there is an offensive shootout waiting to happen in Baton Rouge in 2026.

Both teams will look to bounce back from underwhelming seasons after preseason buzz. Both teams finished with a 7-6 record, including bowl losses against their respective opponents. Clemson fell in the Pinstripe Bowl to Penn State, while LSU lost in the Texas Bowl to Houston.

The matchup’s stakes continue to be raised ahead of the Week 1 matchup. While coaching and players will be on display for the first time, LSU and Clemson will settle the score of who can truly take the “Tigers” and “Death Valley” moniker.