Anonymous coaches share honest assessment of LSU QB Sam Leavitt
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The 2026 college football season is just a few weeks away from kicking off, and the LSU Tigers figure to be one of the more intriguing programs to watch during Lane Kiffin‘s first year in Death Valley.
Adding to the intrigue surrounding the Bayou Bengals is the addition of former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who joined the program following a lengthy offseason courtship. Leavitt was phenomenal during the Sun Devil’s 2024 College Football Playoff run, but a serious foot injury effectively ended his 2025 campaign in October.
Leavitt looks to be fully recovered as LSU ramps up it’s fall camp activities, and ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg recently spoke to a couple of defensive coordinators to get a feel for what they see in Leavitt as he get’s ready to lead the Tigers in Kiffin’s high-octane offense.
“He played better the year before than he did last year,” said a defensive coordinator Rittenberg spoke to. “He was really impressive during [Arizona State’s] playoff run the year before. So, just sneaky athletic, really way more elusive than you would think, just one of those make-something-out-of-nothing kind of guys. He’s a good, solid passer. He’ll miss on some throws that you expect him to make it to be that high-level guy. But where he gets you is when he extends plays.”
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While this first anonymous DC certainly sees the upside in Leavitt’s game, another defensive play caller Rittenberg spoke to didn’t seem to be impressed by the former ASU gunslinger’s skill set.
“He’s not the talent level that a normal LSU quarterback would be,” an SEC coordinator told Rittenberg. “If they [have success], it’s going to be because they got him going in the system. He doesn’t freak you out when you watch him, but he is dangerous at times. I would rather play him than Diego Pavia.”
Whether or not Leavitt can find the success past Kiffin QB’s have remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that he’s a great position to find success in Baton Rouge. If the Tigers can get the 2024 version of Leavitt they’re hoping to, then LSU could make some serious noise in Kiffin’s first year at the helm.
