By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Sixteen years ago to the day that Lane Kiffin left Tennessee as head coach after one season, Kiffin broke Rocky Top’s heart again on Monday night and left them spewing in anger once again.
Kiffin left Tennessee on Jan. 12, 2010, for what he then considered his dream job – USC, where he was an assistant coach for six years – after a hopeful 7-6 (4-4 Southeastern Conference) season in 2009 following Phillip Fulmer’s last season in 2008 at 5-7 and 3-5.
Ironic 16 years ago today 🤔 https://t.co/O1QcAb6bZ9
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 12, 2026
This time, on Jan. 12, 2026, he signed the No. 1 overall Transfer Portal player and No. 1 quarterback in the country – dual-threat Sam Leavitt of Arizona State – just days after Leavitt visited Tennessee. And just hours after Tennessee made a fourth quarter rally Monday afternoon to try to get Leavitt after he appeared ready to sign with LSU Monday morning.
According to confirmation from LSU officials to multiple media outlets on Monday night, Leavitt has signed with Kiffin and the Tigers.
Committed to The Boot
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) January 13, 2026
Welcome to Baton Rouge @S_leav10 pic.twitter.com/zNiGWksiDH
Leavitt will be a redshirt junior for LSU in the 2026 season and could play for the Tigers for two seasons, unless he puts his name in for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Now, this is more like it. Lane Kiffin is Portal King once more with addition of No. 1 player and QB as he soars in rankings after slow start and rollercoaster ride.https://t.co/MDljrzQWDL
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) January 12, 2026
Leavitt (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) completed 216 of 350 passes (61.7 percent) for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions for the No. 23 passing efficiency rating in the nation at 150.2 in the 2024 season for Arizona State. He led the Sun Devils to an 11-3 and No. 7 finish (7-2 Big 12) that season and the Big 12 title before losing to Texas in double overtime, 39-31, in the College Football Playoff. He also rushed 110 times for 443 yards and five touchdowns.
“Sam’s good. Sam’s really good. I keep saying it,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said late in the 2024 season. “Sam’s really good, and we should be really happy that we have Sam, and we have him for two to three more years. I mean, Sam’s going to play on Sundays. There’s zero doubt in my mind Sam’s an NFL player.”
But Leavitt injured ligaments in his right foot during the 2025 season. He tried to play on it before calling it a season after seven games and having Lisfranc surgery, which involves plates and/or screws realigning the foot and includes a six-month recovery. He is expected to miss spring practice at LSU.
In seven games in 2025, Leavitt completed 145 of 239 passes for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. He rushed 73 times for 306 yards and five touchdowns.
Leavitt will be the second Arizona State starting quarterback to transfer to LSU in four years.
Jayden Daniels transferred to LSU in March of 2022, became the starter and and won the Heisman Trophy in the 2023 season before becoming the second player picked in the NFL Draft in 2024 and winning NFL Rookie of the Year.
Leavitt began his college career at Michigan State in 2023. He was red-shirted after completing 15 of 23 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns and 67 yards on 13 carries in four games. He signed with Michigan State as the No. 18 quarterback in the nation and No. 2 prospect in Oregon in 2023 from West Linn High in West Linn, Oregon. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Oregon as a senior after throwing for 3,184 yards and 36 touchdowns at his third high school.
Counting high schools and colleges, LSU will be Leavitt’s sixth school since 2019. He played his freshman season of high school in 2019 and his junior year in 2021 at Westview High in Washington County, Oregon – 40 miles from West Linn High. His family moved to Pleasant Grove, Utah, near Brigham Young during COVID in 2020 before his sophomore season and he played at Pleasant Grove High there. His father Jared and older brother Dallin each played at BYU.
The family moved back to Oregon in West Linn before the 2022 season and he went to West Linn High and led the Lions to the 6A state championship, 23-14, over Sheldon. During constant rain, Leavitt threw for only 131 yards, but he ran for 178 in the win.
“I’ve always said that when quarterbacks make a mistake, they tend to get cautious,” former West Linn coach Jon Eagle, who retired after the 2025 season, told Tiger Rag on Monday in a phone interview. “But Sam was never like that. He went back out there throwing. He has a super powerful arm and is extremely confident. And he can run. He would try to throw the home run ball every time with us, but I was able to get him to play within the system. What he’s really good at, too, is deciphering a lot of information in half a second, which is important for a quarterback looking at the field.”
Eagle said he and his wife are planning on traveling to see Sam play at LSU.
“All my life, I’ve wanted to tour the SEC going to football games,” he said. “I just retired, and my wife and I can’t wait to go see Sam play.”
Leavitt considered following his family ties to BYU, where his father and brother played. But he signed with Michigan State for the 2023 season with his other top schools Arizona State and BYU. Leavitt transferred to Arizona State after Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker was fired in 2023.
“Really good player. He comes from a good family,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said before playing Arizona State late in 2024. “He’s super athletic. He can run. He’s got an accurate arm. I think he’s got a great football IQ. He’s dangerous. He’s got a lot of football to play. I think he he saw some opportunities over there at ASU. And you look at him, he’s thriving in it.”
LSU TRANSFER PORTAL COMMITMENTS AND/OR SIGNEES (27) – No. 1 BY 247Sports, 10 By On3:
No. 1 Quarterback Sam Leavitt of Arizona State
No. 2 Safety Ty Benefield of Boise State
No. 9 Defensive Lineman Stephiylan Green of Clemson
No. 10 Wide Receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson III of Florida
No. 11 Defensive Lineman Malik Blocton of Auburn
No. 14 Edge Jordan Ross of Tennessee
No. 22 Wide Receiver Jayce Brown of Kansas State
No. 25 Wide Receiver Tre Brown III of Old Dominion
No. 34 Tight End Malachi Thomas of Pittsburgh
No. 35 Wide Receiver Jackson Harris of Hawaii
No. 75 Quarterback Landen Clark of Elon
No. 79 Running Back Raycine Guillory of Utah
No. 129 Wide Receiver Tyree Holloway of West Florida
No. 174 Wide Receiver Josh Jackson of McNeese
Unranked Wide Receiver Roman Mothershed of Troy
Unranked Offensive Tackle Darrin Strey of Kentucky
Unranked Wide Receiver Winston Watkins of Ole Miss
Unranked Edge Achilles Woods of South Alabama
Unranked Center William Satterwhite of Tennessee
Unranked Safety Treylan James of Southern
Unranked Wide Receiver Malik Elzy of Illinois
Unranked Offensive Tackle Ja’Quan Sprinkle of North Carolina Central
Unranked Defensive Lineman Jaylen Brown of South Carolina
Unranked Running Back Rod Gainey Jr. of Charlotte
Unranked Punter Hayden Craig of Florida
Unranked Long Snapper Mack Mulhern of Florida
Unranked Kicker Scott Starzyk of Arkansas
Be the first to comment