It didn’t take long for redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt to win over Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham and new offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo when he arrived in Tempe through the transfer portal. Now, with former Sun Devil quarterback Jaden Rashada transferring to Georgia, Leavitt’s performance in the spring has catapulted him to the starting role after Friday’s spring game.
“I mean, he came in and took the job,” Arroyo said. “We had Jaden, whoever else it was, it didn’t matter, but Jaden hadn’t had much practice. [Rashada] was hurt, came in, and Sam really was still carrying the flag. I think that that part of the competition was a foregone conclusion in some way.”
Last season, Leavitt participated in just four games with Michigan State as a true freshman. He completed 15 of his 23 passes to go along with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his rookie campaign.
Leavitt commanded all of the snaps for Team Gold on Friday night in Arizona State’s annual Maroon and Gold scrimmage at Mountain America Stadium.
In his first showing in front of a decent crowd of ASU fans, the Michigan State transfer turned in two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground, inspiring plenty of hope for the upcoming season.
On an unusually windy night in Tempe, the deep ball wasn’t always there for Leavitt. Early in the game, Leavitt found redshirt sophomore receiver Jordan Tyson, who has turned heads this spring in practice, downfield for a 71-yard gain.
Tyson found a bust in coverage again downfield on the next drive, but Leavitt’s throw was too long and off the fingertips of his receiver. Leavitt also threw an interception to redshirt senior linebacker Caleb McCullough on a short throw near his own goal line.
Despite the up-and-down results offensively, in a game where both offenses combined to turn the ball over four times, Dillingham was impressed with his young signal caller’s performance throughout spring camp.
“I couldn’t be more happy with his progression,” Dillingham said. “He completed over 70% of his balls in team periods this spring, which is, I don’t know my history. We tracked Coach Arroyo’s history and that was the best, or one of the best, he’s had in his career at quarterback so kudos to him and we’re going to keep getting better.”
In the past, Arroyo and Dillingham have worked with NFL-caliber quarterbacks, specifically at Oregon, where both coaches spent time as the offensive coordinators. Arroyo called plays for current Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, while Dillingham ran the offense for Bo Nix, who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Leavitt, a former Gatorade Oregon Football Player of the Year, believes his coaching staff has put him in the best position to succeed.
“I feel pretty confident in a spread offense, that’s what I’ve done my whole life,” Leavitt said. “Arroyo does a great job of explaining why things are the way that they are and where the ball needs to go in certain situations. Just having that, an answer to everything the defense gives you, Arroyo does a great job with that.”
Following the departure of Rashada, the Sun Devils quarterbacks room is down to Leavitt, redshirt senior Trenton Bourguet, and walk-on true freshman Navi Bruzon. As the spring schedule came to a close, Leavitt will look to secure the starting job when ASU hosts Wyoming on Aug. 31 in Tempe.
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