After his 2025 season was cut short by injury, former Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt is looking for a new home, and the SEC is calling. But among all the options, one destination stands out.

“There are really four schools that you have to talk about when you talk about Sam Leavitt,” Pete Nakos said on the December 18th episode of the Rivals. “No. 1, Oregon. We have to see what happens there with Dante Moore, but Sam Leavitt at Oregon could make a lot of sense. Indiana wants to bring in another accomplished quarterback who could help them win a national title and a Big 10 title like Fernando Mendoza did. That makes sense. Miami is going to be in the quarterback market again.

There are obviously some clear reasons why Sam Leavitt and Miami could make sense. And the other one, LSU. Lane Kiffin is now in Baton Rouge. His quarterback right now, Trinidad Chambliss, is at Ole Miss. How’s that all shake out? We will see. But behind the scenes, a lot of people are definitely tying Sam Leavitt and LSU together as a possibility.”

When you stack Sam Leavitt up against other elite quarterbacks in the portal, guys like Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, and Florida’s DJ Lagway, he stands out as the most proven.

As a redshirt freshman in 2024, he led Arizona State to a Big 12 championship, even though the Sun Devils were picked to finish dead last in the preseason media poll. The 2025 season didn’t reach the same heights, largely because a Lisfranc injury cut his year short. Still, Leavitt put up solid numbers. He went for 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and just three interceptions, plus 306 rushing yards and five more scores on the ground.

Now he’s on the move after two seasons in Tempe, and according to On3, LSU has quickly become a team to keep an eye on.

“The reason why, it makes too much sense…. If you want to be an NFL quarterback and you’re transferring somewhere,” On3’s JD Pickell said. “You want to be in the best position to set yourself up for success at the next level —you transfer and go play for Lane Kiffin.”

Kiffin loves quarterbacks who can create when plays break down and hurt defenses with a ground attack. Leavitt checks both boxes. LSU also offers exactly what a transfer QB wants: elite skill players and a solid offensive line, the perfect setup to boost his NFL draft stock in a potential one-year run. It’s the same blueprint that worked for Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels in Baton Rouge. With Garrett Nussmeier gone, there’s a clear, immediate opening at quarterback. That gives Leavitt a real shot to walk in and be “the guy” from day one.

Sam Leavitt will have everything ready at Baton Rouge

If this situation were a year back, when Brian Kelly was the head coach, Leavitt wouldn’t have had any development behind that disastrous O-line. The new unit struggled with consistency throughout the season as Garrett Nussmeier was sacked 25 times, ranking the unit 89th nationally. But this year, the Tigers are under an offensive-minded coach like Lane Kiffin. And guess what?

The 50-year-old has already begun making efforts to bolster the offensive line. If Sam Leavitt ends up in Baton Rouge, he won’t be short on protection. Lane Kiffin is pushing hard to bring former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron back into the fold. He is the same coach who led the Tigers to the 2019 national title. And it gets better. Under Orgeron and offensive line coach James Cregg, the unit won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best offensive line. That’s how dominant that group was.

The O-line’s exceptional play was the foundation for an offense that led the nation in total offense and scoring. They set SEC records for total points (621), total offense (7,207 yards), and passing touchdowns (61). Their protection allowed Joe Burrow to win the Heisman Trophy by a record margin. A similar showing for Leavitt, and he’d be the No. 1 pick in 2027.

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