TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt’s connection to football began long before he arrived in Louisiana last January as a redshirt junior transfer from Arizona State.
Growing up in West Linn, Oregon, Leavitt was born into a football family. His father, Jared, spent four years as a linebacker for Brigham Young University, and his older brother, Dallin, played safety at BYU and Utah State before spending six seasons in the NFL with the Raiders and Packers.
Sam thanks his family for his love for the game, and his mentality to be great. He will need that tonight when the No. 10 Tigers (2-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) host No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at Tiger Stadium (6:30 p.m., ABC).
“You just got to love it on a different level,” he explained for a feature story released by LSU sports information department this week.
It was around his freshman year of high school at Westview High in Washington County, Oregon when it all clicked.
“I think that really started from my brother. He kind of instilled that in me in ninth grade, I kind of just took it from there and learned to love the game more and more,” Leavitt said.
In 2024, Leavitt led Arizona State to an 11-win season, a program-high since 1996, and the school’s first College Football Playoff appearance.
“Going and playing in the playoffs, just how exciting that moment was, just going and embracing the moment,” Leavitt said.
The Sun Devils ultimately fell to Texas of the SEC in double overtime, but when he walked out of the stadium, everyone in college football knew the name Sam Leavitt. He completed 22 of 46 passes for 222 yards and rushed 13 times for 60 yards.
After missing much of the 2025 season with a foot injury that required surgery, Leavitt decided to enter the transfer portal, and his name was on the SEC radar.
Meanwhile, LSU had just agreed to terms with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who had built a reputation as the “Portal King,” and he earned that crown in 2026. Kiffin also has West Coast roots like Leavitt. Kiffin was a backup quarterback at Fresno State and was an assistant coach at USC and the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
Kiffin’s class finished atop ESPN’s transfer class rankings, led by none other than No. 1 ranked quarterback Sam Leavitt.
But for the West Coast kid, it wasn’t always at LSU that Leavitt imagined he would feel so much like home.
“I’m from Oregon, so Louisiana kind of felt almost fake to me in a way (from afar). I didn’t think it was a real place,” Leavitt laughed. “The portal process was pretty crazy. I didn’t expect it to go in that direction, and then when I came out here, took my visit, I just kind of fell in love with the place. I just love the trees, and I’ve always wanted to be in the South.”
For Kiffin’s staff, Leavitt was the perfect match to be the quarterback, and their love for the game of football allowed them to mesh right away.
“I think they really see my passion for the game, and I see theirs,” Leavitt said. “This staff is probably the hardest working staff I’ve been around.”
“The coolest thing about (Kiffin) and everybody upstairs is just the camaraderie from the coaching staff perspective, like they really do feel like a family,” Leavitt said. “That trickles down to the entire organization, everything starts from the top and goes down.”
But it wasn’t always smooth sailing during the move to LSU, as Leavitt was recovering from a foot injury, and a whole new roster and just a few healthy months meant he had to mesh quickly with the offense.
It was a 6-foot-7 tight end from the Baton Rouge area that helped the Oregon native feel at home in the South, Trey’Dez Green.
“Trey’Dez is great. I always say, ‘every time Trey’Dez’s name gets brought up it puts a smile on my face’,” Leavitt said. “What a special human, and then you watch him on the field and it’s just a wow factor.”
Leavitt took it upon himself to lead player-run practices during the summer and worked hard to get his timing down with his receiving corps, though he admits it was difficult at first.
“It’s a lot different, but I really love the players that I have around me,” he said.
To further his connection with his guys, he led player practices during the summer and even put together a trip to Dallas, Texas, with his receivers.
“I got to go spend some quality time with them, see them in different scenarios,” he said. “It really created a tighter bond with us, and I was very grateful to be able to do that with them. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, go with the guys, go train, sounds like a pretty good situation.”
For a self-described “football guy,” it has been an excellent fit.
“You walk around, and it’s just a historic place,” Leavitt said. “So many great players to come out of here, and then you view the players you’re going to get to play against in practice – guys like Whit Weeks, TJ Dottery and Ty Benefield. It’s a special situation for me to be in.”
An opening matchup at Tiger Stadium against Clemson let Leavitt show the country why he was such a highly desired transfer. With ESPN’s College GameDay show and a sold-out Saturday night crowd, the lights shined brightly.
“The whole drive to the stadium was incredible – everybody tailgating,” Leavitt said. “You soak it in, and it’s pretty fantastic. You’re not going to get many opportunities to play in Tiger Stadium. Playing with these fans and this crowd, this environment, you definitely have to soak it in and embrace the moment.”
That’s exactly what he did. Leavitt threw for 230 yards on 16-of-28 passing and rushed for a career-high 113 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns in a 51-10 win in front of a sold-out crowd of 102,321 at Tiger Stadium. That earned him SEC offensive player of the week two days later.
“You can’t really ever settle, especially in this league,” Leavitt said.
Behind the scenes, Sam Leavitt’s impact extends much beyond the football field. While working his way back to the field this spring, Leavitt became actively involved in supporting The Emma Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping children pursue treatment and healing.
Everyone sees what he can do between the end zones, but he’s particularly proud of the work he does in his new community.
“The people are great in Louisiana – the passion, just walking down the street, it’s pretty incredible the way that they love the state and put on for the state,” Leavitt said. “It just makes you want to be here even more. It’s a great time in my life.”
For a West Coast kid who didn’t know anything about Louisiana before arriving, Leavitt’s fearless style of play and leadership has gotten the LSU Nation in his corner for the most part.
It hasn’t all been great, though, He did throw three interceptions in the second quarter against Louisiana Tech and has missed several open receivers, particularly in the loss at Ole Miss last week. He needs better protection from the offensive line, which has allowed seven sacks and contributed to Leavitt’s low pass efficiency numbers.
But Sam Leavitt is ready to “put on” for Louisiana.
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