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Michigan State quarterback Sam Leavitt transfers to ASU

Leavitt, an Oregon native who was recruited by Kenny Dillingham, is leaving the Spartans to compete with Jaden Rashada to become ASU's starting quarterback.

TEMPE, Ariz. — A quarterback battle is officially brewing in Tempe as Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham is bringing in a new QB as part of his 2024 transfer portal class. 

Former Michigan State QB Sam Leavitt committed to play for the Sun Devils on Monday, according to his social media posts.  

Leavitt is expected to come in and battle Jaden Rashada for the starting QB job in the fall. 

Rashada, a freshman, won ASU's starting job out of fall camp in 2023, but only played in two games before going down with an injury, which sidelined him until the final game of the season, the Territorial Cup against Arizona. 

In three games this season, Rashada completed 53.7% of his passes (44/82) for 485 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted three times. 

Leavitt played in four games for Michigan State as a freshman this past season. He completed 65.2% of his passes (15/23) for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He was picked off twice. 

Leavitt was named the 2022 Gatorade Oregon Football Player of the Year and the 2022 MaxPreps Oregon High School Player of the Year after his senior season at West Linn High School in Oregon. He led West Linn to a state championship his senior year while throwing for 3,184 and 36 touchdowns. 

Leavitt was ranked by multiple sources as the No. 1 player in the state of Oregon in the Class of 2023 and committed to Michigan State over Washington State, Arizona, Florida State and Washington. 

Dillingham recruited Leavitt while he was working at Florida State, according to 247 Sports.  

Leavitt told 247Sports last week that he had offers from Oregon State, BYU, Utah and Washington State, along with ASU. He fills the void in ASU quarterback room left by Drew Pyne, who went back into the transfer portal after one season in Tempe.  

ASU now has five quarterbacks: Rashada, Leavitt, Trenton Bourguet, Jacob Conover and Hunter Herrera.  

Leavitt is the 8th player to transfer into the Sun Devil football program this year. You can track the latest transfer portal activity for ASU, Arizona and NAU here.  

Arizona sports

The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.   

The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.  

The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.  

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