Report: Sam Leavitt no-shows ASU team banquet, Dillingham wishes him well

Quarterback Sam Leavitt was not present at Arizona State football’s team banquet on Sunday as Kenny Dillingham wished him well “in whatever his future may hold,” SunDevilSource.com’s Chris Karpman reported.

Each of ASU’s captains were recognized individually on stage at the banquet, and Leavitt was the only captain not in attendance, according to Karpman.

Dillingham reportedly told the audience in attendance that “it would be cowardly not to mention Leavitt while recognizing the other captains.”

There have been previous reports about Leavitt’s camp exploring what the quarterback’s options might look like if he entered the transfer portal after two seasons at ASU. LSU, Miami, Indiana and Texas Tech have been described as potential fits.

Jeff Sims, who replaced Leavitt under center, maintained the starter remained engaged with the program through all of that after his surgery and during initial rehab, first appearing back at ASU practice with a scooter and cast for Territorial Cup prep.

There is now only one transfer portal window, requiring players to enter from Jan. 2-16 but they can commit at any point. Leavitt would be one of the top quarterback options in the portal if he entered.

The quarterback had 4,513 passing yards (61.3%), 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions with 743 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in 20 games with ASU, helping lead them to a 2024 Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance.

He dealt with injuries for much of 2025, as Dillingham said the foot injury that ended his season first occurred in the Baylor game. He played through it against TCU the next week before missing the following game at Utah.

He came back the week after for a win over eventual Big 12 champion Texas Tech, but he went back down the following week while facing Houston. Dillingham ruled the quarterback out for the season the next week ahead of facing Iowa State.

Leavitt transferred to ASU after appearing in four games with Michigan State as a true freshman, accumulating 206 total yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

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