No. 1 Transfer Portal Team Questioned After Landing $4 Million QB

The college football team with the top-rated transfer portal class has been called into question by a prominent college football analyst.

Detailed view of the jersey of Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The shuffling across college football caused by the NCAA transfer portal officially halted near the end of January.

Players from every level of college football decided to enter the portal between the end of the regular season and the last day of the portal's two-week entry window. The players who received the most attention were the Power Four quarterbacks jumping from one school to another.

The first Power Four quarterback that decided to enter the portal was former Arizona State starter Sam Leavitt, who committed to LSU. He will have two seasons of eligibility with the Tigers.

LSU is the third program Leavitt will suit up for in four seasons. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder was a top 20 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle when he committed to Mel Tucker and Michigan State.

Leavitt appeared in four games in his lone season with Michigan State, completing 15 of 23 pass attempts for 139 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Spartans parted ways with Tucker for cause in the middle of the season, and Leavitt headed for the portal.

Arizona State named Leavitt its starter for the 2024 season. In his first year with the Sun Devils, he passed for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions and ran for 443 yards and five more touchdowns, all while guiding Arizona State to a Big 12 Championship victory and College Football Playoff appearance.

The Big 12 named Leavitt its Offensive Freshman of the Year and to the All-Big 12 Second Team.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) scrambles in the backfield as Mississippi State defensive lineman Will Whitson (43) and linebacker Malick Sylla (8) pursue | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

An injury cut Leavitt's 2025 season to just seven games. Leavitt passed for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 306 yards and five more touchdowns. Weeks after reports surfaced that those close to him were shopping him around to other schools, Leavitt entered the portal for a second time.

What Leavitt can do with a proven offensive mind like Lane Kiffin is an exciting prospect, although the Tigers may have some selling to do in the early stages of the 2026 season. Former Alabama quarterback and ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy pointed out the potential early struggles LSU may encounter on a recent edition of his show, "Always College Football."

“The analytical question for LSU becomes how quickly can they build timing and chemistry? Portal quarterbacks can raise ceilings really quickly, but in the early weeks of the season, that’s where seams show up from time to time," McElroy said.

"The timing routes are maybe just a half tick late. The protection checks aren’t fully automatic. The receivers and the quarterbacks are maybe seeing the leverage of a defender a little differently. And, in the SEC, being just a half-beat late becomes a pick-six. LSU is both really dangerous and also pretty volatile, too, because there might be a bit of a learning curve there.”

The Tigers will square off against Clemson to open their 2026 season. LSU will face three College Football Playoff participants from a season ago in SEC play: Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama.