Updated college football transfer portal rankings after Sam Leavitt's commitment

In college football terms, one player doesn't necessarily make or break a transfer portal class-- but one player can certainly make a difference. With the commitment of Arizona State QB transfer Sam Leavitt, LSU's already highly regarded transfer portal class took a signficant boost.

But interestingly, while one major portal ranking puts LSU atop the pile, the other indicates that Leavitt is merely a nice boost to a good but not great portal class. Some of the difference lies in how those rankings are qualified.

247 puts Tigers No. 1

247sports considers the portal class in isolation, merely ranking the incoming players against the incoming players from all other schools. And LSU's top-ranked advantage in 247's rankings is massive. The Tigers have as big of a gap between their ranking and that of No. 2 Texas as Texas does with No. 9 Arizona State.

Of the 23 commitments currently held by the Tigers, Leavitt is the only 5-star prospect. Six 4-star prospects help round what clearly stands as the top recruiting class, Leavitt was ranked as the top overall player in the portal class by 247.

On3 puts LSU No. 10

On the other hand, On3sports has LSU's class 10th in the nation, with Texas A&M currently No. 1. The difference may largely be one of methodology. On3 weighs LSU's 24 commitments against the 33 players who have left or entered the portal with apparent intention to go. While LSU's incoming players are tremendously talented, both the volume and quality of outgoing players hurts LSU's ranking.

On3 has LSU adding one 5-star player (Leavitt, who was their No. 2 overall player in the class), two 4-star prospects, and 20 3-star players. But the Tigers are also set to lose a 4-star player and 29 3-star players.

On 3 also rated Leavitt with an NIL valuation of $3.1 million. A document has recently circulated indicating that LSU was offering QB recruit Brendan Sorsby a $3.5 million guarantee, so it's reasonable to conclude that Leavitt likely is set to earn more than the figure set by On3.

Leavitt will be on his third college. He began his career at Michigan State, where he played sparingly in 2023, keeping a redshirt by throwing for 139 yards and two scores in four games. In two season at Arizona State, Leavitt passed for 4,513 yards and 34 touchdowns. He led the Sun Devils to the 2024 College Football Playoff, but had his 2025 season cut short by injury.

Will Leavitt ultimately be regarded as the missing piece in an epic LSU team or merely a great player on a good team? 247 and On3 have already started the battle, and it'll likely linger throughout the 2026 college football season.