Arizona State coach compares Sam Leavitt to former Oregon Ducks star QB
Sam Leavitt has seemingly come out of nowhere.
Much like Arizona State's football team, which was picked to finish last in the Big 12, Leavitt was an afterthought among Power 4 starting quarterbacks when the season started.
Not anymore.
After transferring from Michigan State in the offseason, Leavitt is 6-1 in seven starts for the Sun Devils this season. He has passed for 1,470 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 284 yards and 4 TDs.
After missing ASU's loss to Cincinnati with a rib injury, Leavitt returned on Saturday to lead them to a convincing 42-21 Big 12 road victory over Oklahoma State. With Leavitt at the helm, Arizona State racked up 530 yards of offense. He was surgical in the pass game, completing 20-of-29 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
But perhaps his most impressive play was an 8-yard scramble on a 3rd-and-9 play in the second quarter. Oklahoma State brought pressure and appeared to have Leavitt trapped in the backfield for a drive-ending sack. But the deceivingly strong 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt freshman broke three tackles and ran over an OSU defensive back to nearly pick up a first down.
It was a remarkable display of athleticism, but more importantly it set up the Sun Devils to go for it on 4th-and-1 from midfield. On the next play Leavitt hit Cam Skattebo for a 50-yard touchdown. Here's the play, as captured by Justin LeCertosa.
Who knew Sam Leavitt had moves like this? 🕺@DevilsDigest pic.twitter.com/n0wBczbfWa
— Justin LaCertosa (@LaCertosaSports) November 2, 2024
"He balled out. I mean, he balled out," Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said after the game. "20-of-29, 304 yards, three touchdowns and one of the craziest little scrambles. I've coached some athletic quarterbacks in my career, between Bo [Nix] and Jordan [Travis], and that was one of the most impressive plays I've seen, breaking three tackles. He didn't get a first down, but he got us in a situation to go for a fourth down."
Dillingham coached Nix at both Auburn and Oregon, and he coached Travis at Florida State. Both are now in the NFL — Nix as the starter for the Denver Broncos and Travis as a backup for the New York Jets.
Before his rib injury, Leavitt was one of the most effective dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big 12. In his first five starts he rushed 49 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns. If Saturday's scramble was any indication, Leavitt is back to full health and poised to put up impressive numbers over the next four games — and beyond.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.