Kenny Dillingham did the unthinkable in the 2024 season. A team that saw no popular support to be contenders for any season milestones gobsmacked all its critics. Dillingham, aided by Sam Leavitt and Co., not only had an 11-2 finish last year. The Sun Devils also made it as Big 12 champions and acquired a spot in the playoffs. That’s the caliber that exists at ASU now. Leavitt was a crucial part of the system that got them that far. And this year, Dillingham says the QB will reach even further heights.
Dillingham could not have turned things around at Arizona State if Sam Leavitt hadn’t transferred to the program. Leavitt finished 2024 with 2,663 yards, 29 TDs, and only 6 INTs. His run further into the season stopped short in the quarter-finals, where ASU lost to Texas by only 8 points. But that does not take away from the sheer brilliance he brings to the Sun Devils team. This year, with a roster that lacks Cam Skattebo, more pressure falls on Leavitt to continue the program’s upward trajectory.
But Dillingham is positive Leavitt will come through. “I firmly believe, you know, he could win the Heisman trophy. I really believe that,” the HC said in an interview with Big 12. “My last two stops had two guys that competed for the Heisman. And I really believe that he (Leavitt) can do that.”
Pro Football Focus also supports this theory with stats. He ranked 9th among CFB quarterbacks overall, with his 89.1 grade. Also, his brilliant 1.1% turnover rate is a spectacular factor that could push him up the ladder, placing him 4th among quarterbacks. To that, he can also add 34 forced missed tackles, which gets him 5th place among QBs in the Power 4.
But Leavitt is also a born leader. “[For] him and for our vision is it’s not about what we receive from it. It’s, you know, what it does for everybody around us. And I think he embodies that.” Dillingham added. With Cam Skattebo gone, Leavitt is now the sole face of the Sun Devils. This is a program that doesn’t enjoy the brand value that other playoff competitors like OSU or Texas do. And yet, Leavitt was able to secure a spot for themselves in that bracket amongst those blue bloods.
He’s not just establishing his leadership on the field. Leavitt is also taking it up a notch higher and giving it back to the ASU community. That’s a true leader right there!
Sam Leavitt emerging as a true leader with community work
Leavitt will probably share a place in the ASU history books along with a legendary defensive star. Pat Tillman. The program’s—and the nation’s—hero, Tillman’s legacy is what drives the ASU program further. And Sam Leavitt just proved why he’s worthy of carrying forward that legacy. The QB donated $15,000 to the Pat Tillman Foundation, which is aimed at aiding the lives of war veterans and widows. He presented the check to the foundation at a local youth camp, where he spent time with the budding football stars of Chandler High.
“I got a cousin who’s a Green Beret, and it means a lot to me. It’s a big-time story at ASU, so to be able to do that and then give back in a situation where I’m helping kids out at the same time, it just makes me feel like a better person,” Leavitt told the press at the event. In another commendable gesture, the QB donated all of his NIL earnings back to the Sun Angel Collective, so the program,, in general,, could benefit from his income. How many QBs in CFB actually take the initiative to give back to the community?
Leavitt was also part of the Pat Tillman Leadership Council last season, an in-program initiative Dillingham employed. A select few players from the team make it to the council, who stand as representatives of the hero’s legacy. Dillingham said that it was “critical” to instill Tillman’s memory into the young minds, and Leavitt is proof of its success.
Heisman contender or not, Sam Leavitt is one QB all his contemporaries should take note of. Not only does he lead the front on the field, but he’s also making it a point to leave his and the program’s impression on the community.
The post Kenny Dillingham Sends Powerful Message on Sam Leavitt’s ASU Future as He Donates $15K To Charity appeared first on EssentiallySports.
