High School

Sam Leavitt's Arizona State success no surprise to Oregon high school football fans

Redshirt freshman quarterback who transferred from Michigan State is looking like the West Linn Lion who did it all in high school

Mike Swanson

QB Sam Leavitt had a lot to smile about after leading West Linn to an Oregon high school football state title in 2022.
QB Sam Leavitt had a lot to smile about after leading West Linn to an Oregon high school football state title in 2022. / Jeff Hinds

Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt has led the Arizona State Sun Devils to a 3-0 start with his arm and legs.

The dual-threat QB transferred from Michigan State in the offseason, won the starting job at ASU, and he's looking a lot like the guy who starred for West Linn High School in Oregon.

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Through three games at Arizona State, Leavitt has 573 yards passing with three touchdowns, plus another 155 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

He led the Sun Devils to a thrilling comeback victory Thursday night over Texas State that featured a bizarre finish — capped off with his head coach, Kenny Dillingham, quoting Marshawn Lynch:

Leavitt's 52-yard touchdown throw to Jordyn Tyson and 7-yard TD run on consecutive possessions lifted the Sun Devils out of a 21-7 deficit.

As a senior in high school, Leavitt was named Oregon's Gatorade Player of the Year, throwing for 3,065 yards and 36 touchdowns with an additional 693 yards and eight scores on the ground, leading the Lions to a 6A state championship.

The three-star QB chose Michigan State but decided to leave when former Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith replaced Mel Tucker for the Spartans. Smith didn't offer Leavitt at OSU.

"Being a hometown kid and not getting an offer from them felt disrespectful, so that's always stuck with me," Leavitt told SBLive/SI.

He's found a new home as a redshirt freshman and thriving, with lots more time to work toward fulfilling his NFL dream.

Next up for Arizona State is a road game Saturday, Sept. 21, against Texas Tech.

West Linn kicked off its season last week with an impressive 51-14 win at Eagle (Idaho) and plays Sherwood at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13.

More: Oregon high school football games to watch in Week 2

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive | @sblivesports

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Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
MIKE SWANSON

Mike Swanson is the VP of Content for High School On SI. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.

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