Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham might still be thankful to the universe for one of his greatest gifts. After their 2023 season, they were running thin in the quarterback position. That’s when Dillingham thought of giving the transfer portal a shot. And guess what? He was at the right place at the right time. He found the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Sam Leavitt, who had entered the portal, parting ways with Michigan State. And that’s when Dillingham knew that Leavitt was the one he had been looking for. Now that the QB walks into the 2025 season, he didn’t inch back while addressing the loopholes in the Sun Devils squad. Not to forget that as we get to see a Leavitt 2.0 version, it’s for his partner-in-crime. However, he makes a concerning statement about his buddy.    

In the 2024 college football season, the Arizona State Sun Devils football team finished with an overall record of 11-3. Last season, Dillingham’s defense finished third in the Big 12 in points per game, allowing an average of 22.6. The same defense restricted Iowa State, which averaged over 31 points per game, to just 19 in the conference championship game. With the two main players returning, Leavitt and his best buddy, Jordyn Tyson, the Sun Devils have extraordinary capabilities. But let’s focus on the offensive side of the coin. That’s where a lot of changes are still prevalent, with wide receivers taking the exit door. However, at the same time, position coach Hines Ward welcomed seven new players into the room, including Jaren Hamilton and Cooper Reid.

With this, it’s a whole new environment for redshirt sophomore quarterback Leavitt, who is getting acclimated with a new group of wideouts. Plus, he now has a big task of getting accustomed to playing without offensive star running back Cam Skattebo. This has been Leavitt’s task for the first two weeks of spring practices. However, with time, the offense did get a glow-up. And it did leave the quarterback pleased with the trajectory.

On April 8, Leavitt faced the media, where he talked about how things are gradually falling into place. “If you look back a week ago from now, I came over here and I said we had some identity issues. Which you know it was just some identity growth that we needed to have. So we had some adversity, and we came out and we bounced back.”

That’s because the new roster made the most use of the spring practice to level themselves up, tapping into their real version and fitting into Dillingham’s scheme. “We really put the foot on the gas this practice. I saw something that I haven’t seen in a while, where we’re carrying the pile with the running back … so we’re kind of finding who we are now, and I was really proud of the guys on how we bounced back.” With this, Leavitt applauded the defensive unit. Meanwhile, the QB has to deal with his partner-in-crime, Tyson’s, absence. Turns out that he is not quite bothered by it.  

Analysts can’t ignore Jordyn Tyson’s value in light of Sam Leavitt’s success 

Arizona State wide receiver Tyson’s remarkable season came to an unexpected halt. Courtesy? His collarbone injury. Later on, Dillingham confirmed that the WR would be back on track after undergoing an injury. But that didn’t happen. Tyson went missing from the Sun Devils’ last few practices. Now, this must have led Leavitt to go into complete ‘panic’ mode. After all, a genuine friendship was one of the reasons both decided to return to the program in 2025 and compete together once again. Turns out that Leavitt rather believes in a ‘the show must go on mindset.’

“It’s great for me to be able to play with a bunch of new guys. I have a guy that I’m super comfortable throwing to, and now you got to find who else you have that connection with. Super good for me and the receivers to see, and the timing just has to be all that much better, and people just have to be where I need them to be—and I got to get them the ball when the play opens up.” But the QB must be bothered about Tyson’s absence. Leavitt’s already got NFL scouts buzzing, and his right-hand man is set to make his Arizona State gig smoother.

Arizona Sports podcast analyst Jesse Morrison drew a bright picture for Sam Leavitt’s future. “I think he’s playing one more year at ASU, gonna be a first- round pick. That’s my opinion.” But someone chose to correct the statement. Going by co-host Jeremy Schnell’s analysis, “We could see that, and someone that’s going to help with that is Jordyn Tyson.” Now, will the WR’s efforts go in vain? Moving into this season, Tyson spent a lot of time in the weight room building a bigger frame for himself. Could Sun Devil Stadium light up with Leavitt-to-Tyson fireworks this season?