ASU Coach Opens Up on Landing Former Spartan QB Sam Leavitt

Michigan State lost big time when former Spartan quarterback Sam Leavitt transferred to Arizona State.

What he would do with the Sun Devils couldn't have been foreseen, at least not by those outside of his circle or the Arizona State program. But Leavitt led his team to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth in just his first season as a starting quarterback.

Now, he's expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

Leavitt left Michigan State after the Spartans hired Jonathan Smith.

"I'm a home town kid and [Jonathan Smith] didn't offer me," Leavitt told Rivals' Spartans Illustrated. "There are some hard feelings there."

So just how did Arizona State land the former four-star prospect?

“I was at Florida State, and I got a call from somebody about this young buck, and I liked this tape," said Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham when he joined ESPN's "College Gameday Podcast."

"Back then, I used to throw out a lot of young offers because that was kind of the thing you did was you wanted to get in the game on guys. So, I was his [Leavitt's] first offer, actually, when I was at Florida State. And then he ends up going to Michigan State, and I end up coming to Arizona State.

"It doesn't work out at Michigan State for him. We're looking for a quarterback, and we bring him in, and we were going to take two quarterbacks. Because you can’t miss on a quarterback. I’m only as good as the quarterback we have, not vice versa. I suck without a quarterback. A quarterback is good without me. So, let’s make that clear.

“He shows up on campus, we tell him we’re going to take two guys, and then we go into our meeting where we talk football. And he goes in with coach [Marcus] Arroyo, and I kid you not, six, seven, eight hours, somewhere in there, he didn’t leave. Straight. I mean, his dad’s a football guy, and his dad’s like, ‘Holy cow.’ Six, seven, eight hours, this kid sat in and wanted to do football. And when he left the meeting, I went up to coach Arroyo and I said, ‘We’re only taking one. We’re going to tell this guy, we’re all in. We’re all in. We’ll take you, and come compete.’

"And that's what he wanted to do. So, we changed our plan from taking two, and we only took one; we took him. And he's earned it, and he continues to earn it every day since."

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