ASU’s Sam Leavitt on Tyson injury impact: ‘I’m not worried one bit’ ahead of Big 12 title game

TEMPE — ASU football’s offense will be down one of its most important pieces in Saturday’s Big 12 title game with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson out, but quarterback Sam Leavitt says he has confidence in the others who will step up.

“I’m not worried one bit. We’re out here today, and everybody’s making plays left and right,” Leavitt said on Tuesday after practice. “So I just gotta put it up there and trust my guys and let them make some plays and show who they are.”

Replacing a player of Tyson’s caliber is impossible given his production includes 45% of the team’s passing yards (1,101) and nearly 42% of its completions (75).

“You don’t replace a guy like that. He’s a one-of-a-kind player and really special, (so) that’s not how we’re gonna approach it. We’re just gonna get the ball into other people’s hands in different ways,” Leavitt said. “(Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s) got a really good plan for us, so we’re just gonna go out there and execute.”

"I thought he was a prima donna when I first got here. I was completely wrong. He puts his head down and works really hard," ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt joked of WR Jordyn Tyson.

Tyson is out for the Big 12 title game with an injury suffered during the Territorial Cup. pic.twitter.com/SUrbjklI0h

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 3, 2024

Part of what has made Tyson so impactful is his run blocking, which helped him earn the fourth-best overall PFF grade of any Power 4 wide receiver this season (87.0).

Tyson is the best run-blocking receiver on ASU (60.6 PFF grade), ahead of starters Xavier Guillory (53.0), Melquan Stovall (52.2) and Chamon Metayer (52.2). For reference, ASU’s best run blockers at any position are starting tackles Emmit Bohle (67.8) and Max Iheanachor (65.5).

“Blocking, that’s a nonnegotiable, that’s something that we always gotta do no matter what,” Guillory said after practice. “I feel like from top to bottom, from JT all the way to scout team guys, we got guys that are willing to block and that starts with coach (Hines) Ward.”

“If he told me to block somebody, I’d probably go block somebody,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said on Monday of Ward. “Like that’s just the respect you gotta have for what he’s accomplished and then how he operates as a football coach.”

Leavitt said it’s been key to see Guillory, Stovall and Metayer make some plays in recent weeks, as it has reinforced the trust he said he’s had in them since fall camp. Guillory has touchdown catches in back-to-back weeks and Stovall is coming off a season-high 35 yards.

Those three along with Troy Omeire were the first-team pass catchers during Tuesday’s practice, where Tyson was not seen in any capacity. Omeire was tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions last season with three but has only 19 yards on three catches this season.

In addition to Omeire likely being more involved, Malik McClain was in a regular practice jersey on Tuesday despite practicing most of the season in a scout team jersey with the plan to redshirt. He split reps between the second and first teams.

This is the first season that players can play in postseason games while maintaining their redshirt.

The Big 12 Championship Game kicks off at 10 a.m. MST on Saturday in Arlington between ASU and Iowa State. Listen to play-by-play coverage on 98.7 FM, the Arizona Sports app or online, or watch it on ABC.