Arizona State AD suggests Sam Leavitt is transferring for reasons not related to finances

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini indicated that in his eyes, Sam Leavitt’s decision to enter the transfer portal after two seasons as starting quarterback was not about money.

The AD was asked while joining Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo about any explanation he got from Leavitt’s camp as to whether the choice was rooted in finances or something different entirely.

“It sounds like it’s something else, and I don’t really plan on commenting further than that,” Rossini told Arizona Sports on Thursday.

Arizona State AD Graham Rossini wished QB Sam Leavitt the best moving forward on @BurnsAndGambo.

Q: Did you get any explanation as to why he's leaving? Was it financially motivated?

A: It sounds like it's something else. I won't plan on commenting any further than that.

The… pic.twitter.com/FCQSw3GzPn

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 11, 2025

As for what the “something else” could be, close friend Jordyn Tyson heading for the NFL draft could be one reason. When Tyson was first injured during the Texas Tech game halfway through the regular season, he accounted for 75% of the catches by Sun Devil wide receivers to that point.

Leavitt could also be looking for better offensive line play, as most of his positive run plays this season came on improvised scrambles where he was forced to make something happen himself. He was third in the nation in scramble yards (322) after playing his last game with about a quarter of the production on designed runs (76 yards).

Regardless of what led to the decision, Rossini continued the trend of ASU staff members sending well wishes for the quarterback’s future.

“We’re grateful that Sam had contributions to our program, we love him as a kid, we wish him absolutely the best as he steps forward and it’s hard for any of us that aren’t in his shoes,” Rossini said. “We talk a lot about what we’re putting college coaches through at this moment in time, think about the same thing for our athletes, just navigating realities and dynamics that have never existed for 18- to 22-year-olds before.

“So not fair for anybody to put judgement on Sam’s decision. It’s a decision that they’ve made and he’s convicted in it. … We can’t wait to see what he does next, and he’ll always be a Sun Devil.”

Head coach Kenny Dillingham reportedly wished the quarterback the best “in whatever his future may hold” at the team’s end-of-season banquet when recognizing player leaders, as Leavitt was the only captain not present.

Dillingham then expressed confidence about the quarterback outlook in Tempe during a Zoom call with reporters on Monday.

ASU coach Kenny Dillingham left it to Sam Leavitt's team to put out news about the player's future after a report surfaced that the QB missed a team banquet.

"With that, I'm very, very confident that we're going to have a really, really good quarterback at Arizona State." pic.twitter.com/BsQkYW6moa

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 8, 2025

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, who doubles as the Sun Devils’ quarterbacks coach, added he respects how Leavitt and his camp have gone about the process.

“We’ve got a really strong personal relationship and professional relationship, and I think to be able to distinguish those is really important,” Arroyo said after practice on Wednesday. “The respect and admiration I’ve got for me and him both coming in here at a time where we really needed to rebuild this thing and get it right, and he was key to that.

“Got a lot of respect for the way he’s got to go about his business and his family. … Professionally, I’ve got all the admiration for what he did and what he did for our program, what he did for the offense in getting it off the ground and turning us into what we have started to become day in and day out.”

The transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2.

Related

Report: Sam Leavitt to enter transfer portal after 2 seasons as ASU starting quarterbackKenny Dillingham wishes Sam Leavitt 'nothing but the best,' confident in Arizona State QB outlookArizona State football transfer tracker: Sun Devils land 2 DB commitsLSU cancels home-and-home series with ASUCam Skattebo can’t quite stick landing on backflip during Fanatics FestASU-Arizona Territorial Cup among top 5 rivalries in nation, study says