Why Sam Leavitt Should be Ranked Higher in Latest QB Rankings
Sam Leavitt of Arizona State is among the top returning quarterbacks in college football in 2025. In a breakout season in 2024, Leavitt passed for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and only six INTs and rushed for 443 yards and another five TDs.
As a result, Leavitt led the Sun Devils to an 11-3 record and a Big 12 Championship as a freshman.
After not playing on the road at Cincinnati last season, Leavitt’s touchdown/interception ratio improved significantly in the second half of the season. Leavitt threw 16 TDs vs 2 INTs over that stretch.
In addition, Leavitt posted six games of three or more touchdown passes on his way to Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and second-team All-Big 12 honors.
Penn State’s Drew Allar, ranked No. 2 by ESPN, wasn’t even the third-best quarterback in his conference last season. That honor went to Will Howard of Ohio State.
Leavitt never threw more than one INT in a game. By contrast, Allar threw three INTs in a too-close-for-comfort win over USC. In the Big Ten Championship Game, Allar threw two more picks in a 45-37 loss to the Ducks of Oregon.
Despite all this, ESPN ranked Leavitt at No. 6, four spots below Allar.
Last season, the media looked foolish by picking Leavitt and Arizona State to finish last in the Big 12.
Now they are setting themselves up for failure once again by picking the wrong quarterback from the wrong valley as the No. 2 returning quarterback in all of college football.
The true No. 2 QB resides NOT in Happy Valley, but in the Valley of the Sun.