Sam Leavitt showing leadership beyond his years on and off the field

TEMPE — Sam Leavitt turned 20 years old on Friday, which is remarkable considering how he has developed as a leader in his first season at ASU.

“My plan from the jump was to go to the College Football Playoff, and it was hard to get everybody to buy into that,” Leavitt said on Wednesday. “And it’s not like I was openly saying it to everybody, ‘Hey, we’re gonna do this and this.’ It’s kind of just a week-to-week thing but, you know, I had that broader perspective from the jump.”

The signal caller said he knew if he talked like that when he first arrived, his teammates might look at him funny, so he just kept his head down and worked to earn their respect. Eleven wins later and it’s clear he has earned it.

“Just the work that you put in and, you know, the faith within yourself,” Leavitt said of what makes him so self-assured. “I feel like I can be one of the best so why would I not, you know, believe that? I’ll put the work in and have seen it, accomplished a fair amount in the time that I’ve had and, you know, I’m just gonna keep growing.”

His work ethic has been lauded by head coach Kenny Dillingham, offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and wide receivers coach Hines Ward.

“He’s probably the last guy to leave the building. Between him and (Jordyn Tyson), I mean they’ll sleep in that building if they want to,” Ward said on Friday. “They’re just constantly in there. You walk by there and they’re watching film by themselves and stuff. That’s what Sam has. He’s just a natural-born leader and wants to be great, and those are some of the attributes that you want in a quarterback.”

The redshirt freshman has also come miles worth of progress when it comes to teammate relations, where early in the season he would often yell and make a scene of a receiver making a mistake to now being much more conversational about where and why hiccups may have occurred, which players often prefer.

“I think being on the same page with the quarterback is key,” Ward said. “I can see Sam talking to the wideouts between every series on the practice field. So I just try to go over there and listen to make sure I reiterate that.

“But coach Arroyo and I, our offices are side by side where I’m always bouncing ideals off of him and, you know, trying to get on the same page with him and what he’s telling the quarterback. So that’s why we’re able to match so well, so fast.”

sam leavitt on going from the one being pitched in the transfer portal last year to being a core part of asu’s pitch to other portal targets now: pic.twitter.com/roOIwcdiJR

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) December 18, 2024

Sam Leavitt orchestrates NIL deal for 8 ASU offensive linemen

Arby’s signed eight Sun Devil offensive linemen to name, image and likeness deals set up by the quarterback they protect.

“We don’t make the playoffs without our offensive line. These guys bring it every week so that our entire offense can be successful,” Leavitt said in a press release. “When I heard about Arby’s program, I reached out to nominate my guys. … They power the game every week and deserve to be recognized.”

Ward said with a smile it’s “very smart” of Leavitt to go out of his way to make sure his linemen are in a good spot.

“I think for any quarterback, you want to make sure that the whole line is very well taken care of,” Ward said. “I think guys gravitate to Sam. … It’s not all about him, he’s all about his teammates. When we’re scoring touchdowns, he’s one of the first guys he’s running down there.

“So it’s just a testament to who he is. He’s a really good dude. A great leader and a hell of a football player.”

It’s not the first time Leavitt has been there to financially support his teammates, as 100% of his merchandising royalties get directed back to his teammates through the Sun Angel Collective.