Does Arizona State Have a Top QB Room?

The Arizona State Sun Devils football program proved they belong on the national stage in their debut season in the Big 12.

The story has been repeated time and time again - but remains powerful regardless.

The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason media poll. Kenny Dillingham rallied a roster that was seen as subpar to win the conference and nearly advance to the national semifinals to close out the season.

A large part of the substantial jump was a seismic uptick in production from the quarterback room - the rise of Sam Leavitt has not been ignored by anyone.

Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus continued his focus on all things collegiate quarterback, and ranked Arizona State's quarterback room as the third best in the country.

More rationale from Chadwick below - the quarterback room entails the backup at the position as well, for note.

"Sam Leavitt is my No. 2 returning quarterback in college football following a stellar redshirt freshman season. His 88.5 PFF grade was ninth among all quarterbacks in the nation, and he was the only quarterback in the FBS with 80.0-plus grades as both a passer and runner."

"Jeff Sims is back for another year as a backup and is a very experienced player, starting 26 games across five seasons with Georgia Tech, Nebraska and Arizona State."

Sims is a definite question mark moving into what should be the former Nebraska player's final year of eligibility.

The transfer stepped in and started in the 24-14 loss to Cincinnati on October 19 of last year - which also turned out to be the worst offensive performance of the year.

While Sims did flash the ability to create chunk plays and to extend plays with his legs, he missed too many open looks. Many drives were stalled in the loss, and one can wonder if the Sun Devils come out on top if Leavitt had been able to play.

In Sims' defense, there are many weaker options the program could roll with in the spot. Sims is experienced, has a live arm, and is generally very strong when it comes to awareness in the pocket.

The Sun Devils are ultimately in strong hands at the position - read about Leavitt's potential future here and here

Please let us know your thoughts on the Arizona State QB room when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.