CAMP TONTOZONA—After transferring from Michigan State, redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt competed for the starting quarterback spot at ASU immediately upon his arrival. With spring and summer under his belt, his comfortability level and heightened self-assurance are at a new high for the offense. Despite all the chatter about him being the presumable starter, Leavitt has been able to remain humble throughout his preseason preparations.
“I feel I’ve grown in every aspect since spring,” Leavitt said. “I’ve improved my comfortability in the pocket, going through my reads, and also how I carry myself and with other people. I’ve done a good job being consistent, taking care of the ball, and making plays. I’m dynamic when I have the ball in my hands in a real game situation, but every day, I’m just going to work and doing the best I can.”
The quarterback competition has magnified in fall camp, with Leavitt and Nebraska transfer senior Jeff Sims both in the running for the starting quarterback position. Both players have received first-team reps throughout the first week of fall camp, with the scales of these reps clearly tilting in Leavitt’s favor. Nonetheless, it’s evident that Sims has pushed Leavitt and has certainly amplified the competition that has only gotten between the two. Leavitt and Sims ironically played against each other last season, where Leavitt and Michigan State came away victorious 20-17. Sims didn’t play for Nebraska that day, and Leavitt only threw two passes, one for a touchdown.
“Jeff’s my guy,” Leavitt expressed. “Every day, we’re going to come to battle, and it’s a professional environment, so we know what the end goal is. But at the same time, we’re also buddies. We’re going to help each other out, make jokes, and he’s a great dude, and I enjoy being around him. He’s been through some ups and downs, and it’s always good to talk to him and pick his brain on stuff he’s seen.”
With broad wide receiver and running back rooms, these units can relieve some of the pressure on Leavitt. Whether it’s making impact plays or just having a fresh body out there, the trust level Leavitt has been able to develop with his playmakers is deeply rooted and is only getting stronger with each practice.
“It helps the quarterback a lot,” Leavitt admitted. “I just have to get my playmakers the ball and let them do their thing, so I don’t have to do anything special. I’ve begun understanding how they come out of their breaks, where they like balls thrown, but there’s always room for improvement.”
When he entered the transfer portal, Leavitt instantly connected with head coach Kenny Dillingham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. Dillingham constantly preaches the culture he wants to build in Tempe, which stands out to Leavitt.
“I had a meeting with Dillingham and Arroyo, and I was sold,” Leavitt recalled. “I met with them for four or five hours, and we just talked ball. I was already ready to commit halfway through the meeting, but I just loved talking with them. The culture and team camaraderie are like night and day between my last school. What he (Dillingham) preaches not only on the field but in life is what makes what he’s building here so special.”
In the first two days of practice at Camp Tontozona, the defense bottled up Leavitt, and the offense after the offense got the better of them down in Tempe. Leavitt invites the intensity the defense brings because he knows that whoever comes out on the losing side is going to come back the next play with a little extra motivation.
“We go back and forth throughout the day,” Leavitt noted. “The other day, they got the better of us, and that was fun to see but also a little frustrating for me. I felt like we won the two days before, so just coming out and competing with my guys makes us better as a team.”
Saturday’s scrimmage will be the first time the team can fully go through drives down the field for an extended period, along with it being only the third fall camp practice to date with full pads. The emotion built up over the first nine practices is just waiting to burst once they hit the field in front of a few thousand fans in attendance at Camp Tontozona. Since quarterbacks are off limits for tacklers in fall camp, Leavitt is eager to see the physical aspect that the Saturday scrimmage will present.
“I love hearing contact,” Leavitt commented. “That’s the reason I fell in love with the game when I was in second grade. Being out here and in that atmosphere is so much different than what we’ve had the past week. It’s a completely different vibe having the fans out here too, and being able to witness that is going to be fun.”
Despite this year being Leavitt’s first time at Camp Tontozona, the climate is anything but unfamiliar to him. Before attending Michigan State, Leavitt grew up in West Linn, Oregon, where the mountains and greenery are very similar to the Camp T scene.
“I love being up here in the trees,” Leavitt remarked. “I grew up camping in the wilderness, and I love that stuff; it took me back to my roots. Being away from society and just relaxing and playing ball is a great escape. I come out here at night and just stretch while looking up at the stars, and I’m blessed to have this opportunity.”
Leavitt also took the summer to bond and communicate with the offensive line, and he realized the natural significance of getting on the same page with his front five before beginning fall camp. These days, Leavitt feels that the bond established is formidable and only getting stronger.
“It’s so much better compared to spring,” Leavitt recognized. “We’ve gotten closer, and the communication especially has improved. They’ve been together for a while, so they know how to pass things off and work through situations, but it’s really me getting with them. The dialogue really changes everything because when you’re able to run your concepts through, that makes all the difference in the world.”
Leavitt and the defense enjoy going back and forth during various practice segments, but that intensity is channeled in a positive manner and breeds a relationship conducive to success off the field. A defense that knows its quarterback can count on it to make a game-changing play is one that is driven to reward that trust.
“Every single day is just competing,” Leavitt conveyed. “They’re my guys off the field, and my locker is right next to (safety) Shamari Simmons, so after practice, we’ll go back and forth depending on who had the better day sometimes. It’s always friendly competition; sometimes it might get a little heated, but at the end of the day, we’re just trying to make each other better and create success for the team as a whole.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!
