ESPN updated its transfer portal player rankings for the 2026 class on Wednesday, and one of the SEC’s newest signal-callers cracked the top 5.
A winding saga led former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt to arrive in Baton Rouge, but now that the former Sun Devil has joined LSU, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill believes he is primed for a highly productive campaign.
Leavitt is a two-year starter who completed 61.4% of his passes for 4,513 yards and 34 touchdowns over the past two seasons despite sitting out five games in 2025. He evades pressure with his quick feet, he keeps his eyes downfield as he negotiates the pocket, and he makes off-platform throws. He can layer intermediate throws over the middle, and he puts good touch on downfield passes outside the hashes. His quickness and toughness make him a threat when he scrambles and on designed quarterback runs. He will take risks with the football, which also leads to a below-average completion percentage.
The West Linn, Oregon native originally played for Michigan State in 2022 before he transferred and burst onto the scene for Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State. Leavitt threw for over 3,400 yards, ran for over 700 and accounted for 46 total touchdowns through one-and-a-half seasons in the desert.
Now, Lane Kiffin will hope that the gutsy signal-caller will be able to deliver him a major return on investment during his first season as head coach.
Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
