Arizona State’s faithful are in a dilemma, unsure if their offense will rely on Sam Leavitt or Jeff Sims against Texas Tech this weekend. The star quarterback has been sidelined by a lower-body injury sustained during the September 21 matchup against Baylor. While his inactivity was a blow to the team’s rhythm, all hope may not be lost. Leavitt was listed as probable on the Big 12 availability report on Wednesday, showing signs of steady progress toward game readiness.

On October 15, Pete Thamel dropped an update. “Sorices: Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt is expected to be probable for the Sun Devils and is in line to play Saturday against No. 7 Texas Tech. He’s looked improved in practice this week as he battles through a lower-body injury.” Leavitt had been classified by Dillingham as “day-to-day” ahead of the game against No. 7 Texas Tech. 

By October 14, the quarterback was moving more freely in the pocket than he had the previous week, a promising development for the Sun Devils’ offensive rhythm. Video clips from October 15 showed Leavitt taking all first-team reps, with the protective wrap on his right foot removed, though he still wore a white compression sleeve.

He reported that it’s an ankle injury that sidelined Dillingham’s quarterback. “I thought he moved around pretty good today. He moved in the pocket a little bit today, you know, last week he never left the pocket, so we didn’t really know. Today he moved around in the pocket, which was a positive,” assured the head coach. 

After the practice, Leavitt seemed to be in a peppy mood as he rushed to his teammate to celebrate after throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to true freshman Demarius “Man Man” Robinson. “I feel good about Sam. I feel good about him right now,” Dillingham said. “There’s still two more days, but I feel really good about Sam and where he’s at.” With 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns already under his belt, Leavitt has been the spark behind Arizona State’s 4-1 surge and flawless Big 12 record.

If Leavitt returns to full health, it would mean Jeff Sims will not get his second start of the season under Dillingham. So, how does Sims view the situation?

Jeff Sims’ respect for Sam Leavitt

Dillingham did not get much time to plan an alternative scheme when Leavitt was downgraded from “probable” to “doubtful” within 24 hours before the Utah face-off. That’s when it was time for Sims to do his job in Leavitt’s absence. Against Utah, he came up with 18 passes out of 38 attempts for 124 yards, while also taking 21 carries for 52 yards. 

With Leavitt potentially returning to reclaim his starting role, Sims remains grounded, emphasizing team success over individual opportunity. “Sam is a great quarterback,” he said to Fox10Phoenix’s Blake Niemann.

Going by his experience, he only had good words to say about Leavitt. “I mean, Sam can go all the way. He can go as far as he wants to go. The sky is the limit for him, and just being around a guy like that and competing against him every day is good,” said the backup quarterback. His comments reflect a veteran mindset. Sims, who has started over 26 games across multiple programs, acknowledges the importance of supporting a teammate who has led the offense to success. 

However, it’s important that Dillingham takes lessons from Brent Venables and not rush Sam Leavitt’s recovery. We have seen the Oklahoma head coach do it and turn John Mateer into a cautionary example.