Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt ‘unbelievable’ in first collegiate start vs. Wyoming

TEMPE — Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt was much better than many expected on Saturday as the redshirt freshman made his first collegiate start.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham has been confident the transfer has all the tools to succeed at this level, but even he was surprised by how Leavitt operated in a 48-7 win over Wyoming.

“I thought there’d be more freeze moments,” Dillingham said. “There were only a couple where he got to the sideline and he’s like ‘what am I doing?’ Not many of those moments.”

He finished 14-for-22 with 258 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters.

“There’s always gonna be things you want back, but overall we flowed into the next drive really well,” Leavitt said. “We weren’t focused on the last drive, which I think was a major factor in our success today.”

He said he encouraged his teammates coming out of halftime, not wanting to see the foot come off the gas with a 27-0 lead.

Leavitt displayed pocket presence beyond his experience, evading pressure to make plays such as an improvised throw to Chamon Metayer that the tight end took to the house.

Chamon Mateyer adds another TD to the tally! 👊 @ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/4SrgMkSpkD

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 1, 2024

On the same drive, Leavitt used his legs to convert two third downs. He finished with 47 yards on the ground while showing an indifference to sliding, which Dillingham said is not part of the conversation because Leavitt’s not good at it.

“It’s kind of an awkward thing to do if you’re not good at it and we’ve practiced it a little bit, but it’s just not comfortable for him,” Dillingham said. “So he’s just gotta learn how to dive-slide forward to protect himself some, but I think it would do him a disservice to try to get him to slide and jam his feet into the ground.

“But I definitely don’t want him to get hit as much.”

Arizona State kept an “everybody eats” approach to the passing game as seven players caught passes before any one receiver had 50 yards.

Leavitt’s ability to keep the offense on schedule kept himself in a position to make the easy plays. Only three of the 11 third downs he faced were 3rd-and-longs.

The Sun Devils also had success on screen plays, one of which Kyson Brown took 68 yards for Leavitt’s second touchdown.

MAMA, THERE GOES THAT MAN 😈 @KysonBrown11 TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE 🔱

📺 FS1
📱 https://t.co/YDxGTNeZJO#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/Ys6QiECAiy

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) September 1, 2024

Dillingham had seen enough after three quarters, and Jeff Sims played the rest of the way.

“The kid played an unbelievable game, and I’m excited about the future with him,” Dillingham said. “That’s what’s really exciting is that kid has four more years potentially to play here. And I think this program is gonna grow and grow with him, and that’s super exciting.”