Sam Leavitt's Leadership, Humility Fuel Arizona State

The tangible growth the 20-year old has shown since the loss has been recognized as such by head coach Kenny Dillingham - particularly in-structure.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo fed into the belief that his maturity and play on the field have only grown since the first game of the campaign in his media availability Wednesday.

• “Obviously, you know, Sam's obviously, Sam's a special, special individual. I think we spent a lot of time in the bye week of getting grounded and trying to be human again, this game, in this situation, and the narratives can lift you really high and slam you really hard if you let it. And I think you can get carried away."

• "And I think it says a lot about Sam to be able to open up and say that there's a lot of humility and the ability to say I was maybe focused hearing expectations and falling falling into them, to have the humility as a young man, let alone the ability to come in and have that conversation, is special, and I think only helps us as a team.”

Leavitt's confidence is appreciated in pockets - the ability to admit that a Heisman Trophy and bringing a national championship to Tempe in 2025 is certainly a breath of fresh air, but the humility he holds to admit when he isn't playing up to standard is just as welcome.

It's well-known that Leavitt is his toughest critic and is willing to hold accountability; this was evident when the sophomore gave himself a C-plus grade for his performance against Northern Arizona on August 30. This is also a major player when it comes to fueling the locker room.

Leavitt's on-field leadership and humility have been matched by what he has tangibly done off of it - these acts of selflessness, such as donating the entirety of commission earned via sales on NIL merchandise back to the entire team, perfectly encapsulate who the Oregon native is.

The next opportunity to see Leavitt attempt to rally the Sun Devils to victory is this Saturday night against Utah.

Read more about Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley speaking directly to fans ahead of the start of the 2025 season here, and on previewing key individual Utah players ahead of the Sun Devil football game on Saturday here.