USA TODAY Sports

Report: Michigan State QB Sam Leavitt 'done' with Spartans after Jonathan Smith hire

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Matthew Lounsberry | Last updated Nov 27, 2023 6:31 PM ET

The mass exodus is on in East Lansing, as Michigan State's football roster undergoes massive departures in the wake of a disastrous 2023 season.

As of 6 p.m. on Monday evening, we have seen two MSU graduate players (linebacker Darius Snow and offensive tackle Spencer Brown) enter the NCAA transfer portal. Three other undergraduates — quarterback Katin Houser, offensive tackle Ethan Boyd and offensive guard Kevin Wigenton — have openly declared their intention to enter the portal with the fall window opens on Dec. 4.

And now, a second quarterback is also expected to enter the transfer portal as well — true freshman Sam Leavitt — and it doesn't sound like he'll play again for the Spartans.

In a report from Rivals.com's Spartans Illustrated, Leavitt confirmed that he will be leaving Michigan State behind and finishing his career elsewhere. This decision comes in stark contrast to the statements Leavitt has made previously about his future in East Lansing, but there's a reason for that — he has no intention of playing for new Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith.

An Oregon native and former four-star recruit, Leavitt never received a scholarship offer from Smith when he was the head coach at Oregon State. According to the report, Leavitt still harbors "hard feelings" toward Smith over this fact.

"I'm a hometown kid and [Jonathan Smith] didn't offer me," Leavitt told Spartans Illustrated publisher David Harns, who reports Leavitt met with Smith today and brought up what happened during his recruitment.

"There are some hard feelings there," Leavitt told Harns. "I felt slighted by that. Why would they like me now when they didn't like me before?"

Leavitt was a part of the same recruiting cycle as current Oregon State freshman Aiden Chiles, who signed with Smith and the Beavers last year. Both were considered four-star quarterback prospects, but Oregon State went all in on its pursuit of Chiles (ranked No. 152 overall by 247Sports' composite) over Leavitt (No. 312). Chiles was considered the No. 12 quarterback in his class, while Leavitt was ranked No. 21.

Harns asked Leavitt if there was any chance he would continue his career at Michigan State, to which Leavitt replied: "Yeah, I'm just kinda done."

By appearing in just four games for the Spartans this season, Leavitt preserved a redshirt year and will have four years of eligibility remaining wherever he chooses to continue his college career.

For more coverage of Michigan State Athletics: