How good is Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt? 'Sam's an NFL player'
Until now, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt has mostly flown under the radar.
A redshirt freshman who transferred from Michigan State in the offseason, Leavitt has been overshadowed by senior running back Cam Skattebo amidst the Sun Devils improbable run to the Big 12 football championship and College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Leavitt has had some huge games this season, but he's not flashy and he's not a self promoter.
That changed over the weekend when Leavitt said he was looking forward to facing Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers in the Peach Bowl so he could prove "why I'm the better quarterback."
That comment has been shared far and wide, and has brought more attention to Leavitt and ASU ahead of Wednesday's College Football Playoff showdown with Texas.
Sam Leavitt vs. Quinn Ewers
"I don't feel like publicity is bad, especially if you're not saying anything," Leavitt said at Peach Bowl media day on Monday. "It's just an opportunity for me to go prove myself."
"I hope that every player on the field feels that they're the best. That's how it should be. You put all this work in and get to this stage. So why would you not believe that yourself?"
When it comes to the Ewers comparison, Leavitt has a case. His quarterback rating of 159.5 is significantly higher than Ewers' rating of 148.0. And Leavitt is a true dual-threat QB, rushing for 383 yards and 5 touchdowns this season. Ewers rushed for -65 yards.
"We've got a quarterback who believes he's really, really good, is one of the best in the country, if not the best in the country," Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said at Peach Bowl media day. "[Leavitt] believes he's going to play on Sundays. Believes in everything he does. It's when the microphone was in front of him that he got a chance to let everybody know that, and that's OK."
"He tells us that all the time. We already knew that. It's not a surprise to us. It just makes for good conversation topics. I bet Quinn [Ewers] says the same thing, because those are the quarterbacks that are in this position most of the time. They have this uncanny belief in themselves all the time."
Leavitt Is 'Going To Play On Sundays'
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has been singing Leavitt's praises all season, stating multiple times that Leavitt is an NFL-level player.
"Sam's good. Sam's really good. I keep saying it," Dillingham said in late November. "Sam's really good and we should be really happy that we have Sam and we have him for two to three more years. I mean, Sam's going to play on Sundays. There's zero doubt in my mind Sam's an NFL player."
Since returning from a rib injury that sidelined him for one game, Leavitt has thrown 16 touchdown passes and 1 interception in six games — and he didn't play in the fourth quarter of three of those games. He has only thrown 5 interceptions in 304 pass attempts, one of the best marks in the country.
In his only loss as a starter, Leavitt was 22-of-38 for 282 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in a 30-22 road loss to Texas Tech. The key for the Longhorns will be forcing Leavitt into mistakes, something he has not done much of this season.
Texas is favored by 12.5 points and the oddsmakers are predicting a Longhorns victory in the ballpark of 32-19. The Peach Bowl is scheduled to kick off on New Year's Day at 11 a.m. MST on ABC.
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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.