A New Era for the Tigers
The latest CFB HQ rankings have placed Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt at No. 25 on the list of the most influential college football players for the 2026 season, spotlighting his journey from the Sun Devils to Baton Rouge.
Leavitt’s résumé at Arizona State reads like a breakout story: he guided the Sun Devils to a 16‑4 record, including an 11‑2 mark as a starter, and secured a College Football Playoff berth before a Lisfranc injury halted his momentum in the final weeks of the 2025 campaign.
The injury, which required surgery and sidelined him for five games, raised questions about durability, yet his statistical output — 4,513 passing yards, 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions and 816 rushing yards with ten scores — remains among the most impressive in recent memory.
Now recuperating at LSU, Leavitt has spent spring practices mostly on the sidelines, absorbing Lane Kiffin’s offensive scheme while participating in limited 7‑on‑7 drills and taking a handful of snaps in Tiger Stadium, a modest but symbolic return to the field.
Kiffin, who has long coveted a quarterback who can blend poise with physicality, has praised Leavitt’s diligent study of the playbook and his readiness to lead a unit bolstered by new transfers such as wide receivers Winston Watkins, Jayce Brown and Eugene Wilson III, as well as a veteran offensive line.
The Tigers open the 2026 season at home against Clemson on September 5, a matchup that pits LSU’s revived attack against a Tigers‑Clemson series that LSU leads 4‑1, highlighted by a 17‑10 victory a year ago and a 42‑25 win in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Analyst Joel Klatt recently ranked Leavitt inside the top ten quarterbacks for the upcoming season, acknowledging the lingering injury concerns while emphasizing the upside of a player poised to restore LSU’s reputation as a feared program.