Lane Kiffin, LSU shift focus of QB search to Sam Leavitt after missing out on Brendan Sorsby
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The search for Lane Kiffin‘s first LSU quarterback shifted gears late Sunday with a new target established on Monday.
On the first weekend for transfer visits, LSU hosted Cincinnati transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, considered the top portal prize. Sorsby, though, committed to Texas Tech over LSU on Sunday evening.
NEWS: Former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the top player in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Texas Tech, he tells ESPN. Sorsby’s decision comes in the wake of a 48-hour visit flurry that included visits to Tech and LSU. pic.twitter.com/ZROUjbLxje
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 5, 2026
With Sorsby out of the picture, Kiffin and the Tigers have set their sights on Sam Leavitt. The Arizona State transfer QB is visiting LSU on Monday, according to reports by multiple outlets, including NOLA.com.
Leavitt, a native of West Linn, Oregon, is entering his 4th college football season. He began his career at Michigan State before playing in 20 games over the past 2 seasons for the Sun Devils.
In 2024, Leavitt led ASU to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth as a redshirt freshman. Over 13 starts, Leavitt completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,885 yards with a 24-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also added 5 rushing scores.
This past season, Leavitt played in just 7 games before having season-ending surgery to address a foot injury. In limited action, Leavitt saw his attempts per game increase from 26.9 to 34.1 and his yards per game went up from 221.9 to 232.6. Leavitt threw for 1,628 yards with 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 2025.
Leavitt visited Kentucky over the weekend but did not make a commitment.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
