Kenny Dillingham's belief in QB Sam Leavitt crucial for Arizona State

Down 21-7 with roughly three minutes remaining in the second quarter last week at Texas State, Sam Leavitt jolted the Arizona State offense.

The Michigan State transfer quarterback threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to bring the Sun Devils within a score. After a quick Texas State three-and-out, he went back to work and crafted an 11-play, 57-yard drive that ended with him scampering in for a touchdown from seven yards out.

The Sun Devils went on to win 31-28 and are 3-0 to start the season for the first time in three seasons. They open their first season in the Big 12 on Saturday at Texas Tech. More importantly, Kenny Dillingham believes he’s found his quarterback of the future in Sam Leavitt.

“I’m glad he’s the guy that, with four years left, I get to say my tenure here is linked very strongly to him,” Dillingham said this week. “I’m glad that he’s the guy that it’s linked to.”

“… People are going to ask me questions about Sam every week and it’s going to be the same thing. He’s the same dude every week. He’s going to show up early; he’s going to leave late. He’s going to do everything he can to prepare. He’s going to be hard and critical of himself.”

Sam Leavitt needed to find a program that would buy into his future when he entered the transfer portal last November.

The Michigan State transfer redshirted in his only season in East Lansing, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions in four games. Mel Tucker was fired in September. The Spartans dropped six of their last eight games.

The one-time Washington State commit had a standout senior year of high school in 2022, throwing for 3,065 yards and completing 70 percent of his passes while leading his West Linn (Oregon) team to a 12-1 record and the Oregon 6A state title. Leavitt finished with 36 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. His impressive senior year led to On3 ranking him a four-star prospect and the No. 7 quarterback in the 2023 cycle.

Dillingham saw the talent when Arizona State recruited Leavitt this offseason in the portal. Speaking to On3 this week, the quarterback said Dillingham’s belief in Leavitt was crucial in his decision.

“I came here and it was the right spot, so canceled my other visits and just locked it down,” he said. “Just the way that I’m taught to run the offense. It’s more quarterback-friendly and I get to handle more in the pass game and protections, which is going to lead to the NFL.”

Being able to work with Dillingham, Levitt said, has helped his development. He beat out former Georgia Tech and Nebraska Jeff Sims for the starting job. Through three games Leavitt is 43 of 72 with 573 passing yards. His only interception came on a tipped ball. He’s also rushed for 155 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns.

Before taking the Arizona State job in 2021 and becoming the youngest coach in the Power Five, Dillingham worked closely with Bo Nix at Auburn when he won the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019. They reunited at Oregon for the 2022 season. Dillingham recently compared Leavitt to Nix, who was drafted No. 12 overall by the Denver Broncos in last spring’s NFL draft.

“His success in the past with previous quarterbacks and just the way he talks about the game, I feel like it’s pretty different and special,” Leavitt said. “He’s a hell of a coach, and I can’t ask for a better situation.”

Arizona State currently ranks No. 43 in the On3 Industry 2025 Team Recruiting Rankings. Dillingham has been blunt about the NIL situation and using the portal to build his roster. The Arizona State team that enters Saturday 3-0 includes only three players in their final year of eligibility who started their careers at Arizona State.

But with another three years of eligibility remaining, Sam Levitt has bought into Dillingham’s plans for Arizona State. He gives the Sun Devils a quarterback they can build around in the years to come. The program’s last conference title came in 2007.

“I want to win and make Arizona State something that it’s never been before,” Leavitt said. “That’s what Kenny Dillingham sees as well.”