ESPN lists Sam Leavitt as Heisman Trophy candidate for 2025

With the Arizona State Sun Devils set to play in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1, freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt’s 2024 season has played an important part in ASU’s road to the College Football Playoff.

In 10 games played, the freshman quarterback threw for 2,663 yards and 24 touchdowns while also rushing for 383 yards and five scores. His quarterback rating of 81.6 is 11th best in the country as ASU finished with an 11-2 record en route to their Big 12 Championship title win vs. Iowa State, earning a bye in the 2024 College Football Playoff. Leavitt played a big role in the Sun Devils’ win, throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a score.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach believes Leavitt will build on it. Schlabach listed Leavitt as an early contender for the Heisman Trophy in 2025. 

It’s a good thing for the Sun Devils that Michigan State hired former Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith to replace Mel Tucker last year. Leavitt grew up in West Linn, Oregon, and wasn’t happy that Smith didn’t offer him a scholarship when he was coaching the Beavers. So Leavitt transferred from Michigan State to ASU, where he guided the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record and unlikely Big 12 title in their first season in the conference. Leavitt passed for 2,663 yards with 24 touchdowns and ran for 383 yards with five scores. ASU coach Kenny Dillingham says Leavitt will play on Sundays.

Leavitt will have a packed crowd in the 2025 Heisman Trophy race, with Schlabach listing several other quarterbacks as potential Heisman candidates including SMU’s Kevin Jennings, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Texas’ Arch Manning.

Schlabach isn’t the only college football analyst mentioning Leavitt as a Heisman candidate; 247Sports’ Brad Crawford has also listed him as a potential frontrunner for the award next season.

How does Sam Leavitt look going into 2025?

The 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback will have another year under offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, who was given a three-year contract extension in November. Under Arroyo, Leavitt and the ASU offense ranked 38th in the country by averaging 33.1 points per game.

Leavitt will have some departing pieces on the offense with senior running back Cam Skattebo and receivers Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall departing the program. Skattebo was a productive player in the passing game, catching 37 passes for over 500 yards and five touchdowns while Guillory also scored five touchdowns in 2024.

A top target that will be returning for Leavitt will be receiver Jordyn Tyson, who became one of his top targets on the field with the sophomore catching 75 passes with over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. Receiver Malik McClain is another potential target who will be returning for ASU as McClain redshirt during the 2024 season, giving him an additional year of eligibility.

ASU also added Cameron Dyer, a 4-star quarterback and receiver as part of its 2024 recruiting class, along with 4-star tight end AJ la and 3-star receivers Cory Butler and Uriah Neloms.