Spartan Nation

BREAKING: Michigan State flips QB prospect from Pac-12 school

The Spartans have their quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class!

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BOOM!

Michigan State offensive coordinator Jay Johnson has been hard at work in attempting to flip a talented quarterback committed to a West Coast program, and the Spartans have done just that.

Four-star West Linn (Ore.) High School quarterback Sam Leavitt has announced his commitment to the Spartans less than 24 hours after announcing his decommitment from Washington State.

Leavitt is the top player from the state of Oregon, and is ranked No. 376 overall by 247Sports' composite ranking. He's considered the No. 23 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2023. Leavitt led West Linn H.S. to a state championship this past fall, and was named Oregon's 'Player of the Year' by MaxPreps.

After heavily pursuing five-star Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King quarterback Dante Moore — who is committed to Oregon — for much of the last month, Johnson and Michigan State turned their attention to Leavitt in recent weeks. The Spartans got the four-star Oregon native on campus for a visit on Dec. 9, and did enough to convince Leavitt to flip from Washington State. He had been committed to the Cougars since early July.

Leavitt has many similarities to Michigan State freshman Katin Houser, who signed with the Spartans last December. Leavitt has a strong pocket presence but also good mobility with an ability to run. He has great deep ball accuracy and a winning pedigree. With a quick release, Leavitt can be labed as a 'gunslinger' — a draw for a program like Washington State which runs the 'Air Raid' offense.

But, Leavitt is now a Spartan, and MSU will have a quarterback battle on their hands this spring, with incumbant starter Payton Thorne being pressed by Noah Kim, Houser and Leavitt.

Michigan State has had a very busy week ahead of the early signing period (Dec. 21-23). With Leavitt, the Spartans pick up another four-star recruit at a position they hadn't addressed yet. Combine this commitment with the current verbal pledges from three-star athletes Aziah Johnson and Jaelon Barbarin, and Michigan State has seized some solid momentum heading into Signing Day.

After a disappointing 2022 season, Michigan State's recruiting efforts took a hit. However, with the Spartans have made a splash this December with recent commitments both from the high school ranks and the transfer portal. 

Michigan State's 2023 class is back up to No. 27 in the country, after it had dipped down into the low-40s due to several recent decommitments. The Spartans now have nine four-star prospects committed in the '23 class, which would tie a new program record if each signs with MSU. Former head coach Mark Dantionio also signed nine four-stars in 2016 after winning his third Big Ten championship.

High school highlights of Leavitt can be viewed below:

Michigan State verbal commitments, Class of 2023

  • Four-star EDGE Bai Jobe; Community Christian School; Norman, Okla.; No. 82 nationally, No. 14 EDGE, No. 1 in state of Oklahoma
  • Four-star DL Andrew Depaepe; Pleasant Valley High School; Bettendorf, Iowa; No. 137 nationally, No. 16 Defensive Lineman, No. 2 in state of Iowa
  • Four-star LB Jordan Hall; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.; No. 179 nationally, No. 16 Linebacker, No. 41 in state of Florida
  • Four-star DL Jalen Thompson; Cass Technical High School; Detroit, Mich.; No. 219 nationally, No. 32 Defensive Lineman, No. 3 in state of Michigan
  • Four-star OT Stanton Ramil; Thompson High School; Alabaster, Ala.; No. 222 nationally, No. 20 Offensive Tackle, No. 17 in the state of Alabama
  • Four-star TE Brennan Parachek; Dexter High School; Dexter, Mich.; No. 326 nationally, No. 18 Tight End, No. 6 in state of Michigan
  • Four-star QB Sam Leavitt; West Linn High School; West Linn, Ore.; No. 373 nationally, No. 23 Quarterback, No. 1 in state of Oregon
  • Four-star LB Jayvant Brown; St. Thomas Aquinas High School; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; No. 393 nationally, No. 31 Linebacker, No. 73 in state of Florida
  • Four-star IOL Cole Dellinger; Clarkston High School; Clarkston, Mich.; No. 403 nationally, No. 26 Interior Offensive Lineman, No. 7 in state of Michigan
  • Three-star CB Chance Rucker; Ryan High School; Denton, Texas; No. 436 nationally, No. 42 Cornerback; No. 70 in state of Texas
  • Three-star CB Eddie Pleasant III; Carrollwood Day High School; Tampa, Fla.; No. 859 nationally, No. 84 Cornerback; No. 126 in state of Florida
  • Three-star ATH Aziah Johnson; Thomas Jefferson High School; Richmond, Va.; No. 1020 nationally, No. 82 Athlete, No. 28 in state of Virginia
  • Three-star ATH Jaelon Barbarin; Chaminade High School; Simi Valley, Calif.; No. 1121 nationally, No. 93 Athlete, No. 99 in state of California
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