Sam Leavitt

#10 · QB · R-Jr. · LSU6′2″ · 216 lb · West Linn, OR

ZPR6722nd of 119 QBsHeismanNo. 6in our modelLast gameW 38–17at Auburn · Oct 24
Nextvs AlabamaSat Nov 7 · 3:30 pm ET

Graded Solid or better in each of the last two games.

Last game: W 38-17 at Auburn, Oct 24 · 32 of 45 for 387 yards, 3 touchdowns · 8 carries for 54 yards, a rushing touchdown. Started all eight of LSU’s games.

LSU’s next game: vs Alabama, Sat Nov 7, 3:30 p.m. ET · ABC

LSU is 6-2 in the eight games played. A rhythm passer who throws shorter than most.

Strongest: 8.5 yards an attempt, 35th best of 158 starters.

Passing yards

2,171

180 of 256, 70%

TD–INT

17–8

8.5 per throw

NCAA rating

157.2

30th of 119

ZPR

67

22nd of 119

How ZPR works

Solid or better in 6 of 8 graded games.

  • 2-1 against ranked teams, 253 passing yards a game.

Best by our grade: Texas A&M. Lowest: McNeese, with 1 interception. Biggest game: at Ole Miss, No. 8. Best play: Completion for 26 yards, touchdown, at Ole Miss, Q3 3:05. Win chance 14% to 38%. Costliest play: Fumble, at Kentucky, Q4 4:11. Win chance 84% to 60%.

Tap a game for its plays

Q1Q2Q3Q4

Season

Fades after halftime

How to read this

Each column is a quarter. Blue and up is a good stretch for the quarterback, red and down a bad one, hatched means the game was already decided. A red cross is a turnover and a black dot a touchdown. The word on the right grades the whole game; on games with a lot of running it grades the passing only. A gold line means the r/CFB game thread kept naming the quarterback. Dashed outlines on the Season row are last season’s average. Tap a game to open its plays: each bar is one of the quarterback’s plays, up helped the team’s chance of winning and down hurt it, and the grey line is that chance.

The word grades the game against every FBS quarterback start, from Rough to Great, using the same throws as the season Zeitgeist Passer Rating and adjusting for the defense faced. Bars are points added per throw in that quarter. The Season row leaves out quarters after a game was decided.

Style of play

Rhythm passer

Also: mobile, yards after catch

Why this word
Runs7.1 a gameRarelyA lot
Throws7.1 yards past the lineShortDeep
Completes70%FewerMore
Takes sacks4% of dropbacksRarelyOften

The dot is this quarterback, among this season’s starters; the tick is the middle.

Throws shorter than most and runs some. 7.1 carries a game. Closest matches: Hoover ’25, Harrell, Beck ’25, Creel.

Where the throws go

Behind the line21%typical 17%
Short48%typical 47%
Middle20%typical 22%
Deep12%typical 14%

Runs 7.1 times a game; 80% of starters run less.

Closest in style

Hoover ’25HarrellBeck ’25CreelThis QB

Nearer the middle means more alike.

  • Hoover ’25 TCU 2025 · Chain-mover
    3,472 yards, 29 TD, 13 INT. Both throw interceptions and score a lot.
  • Harrell Charlotte · Precision passer
    831 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT so far. Both score a lot and complete a lot.
  • Beck ’25 Miami 2025 · Rhythm passer
    3,813 yards, 30 TD, 12 INT. Drafted in round 3 (No. 65 overall) by Arizona, 2026. Both score a lot and throw interceptions.
  • Creel Jacksonville State · Dual-threat
    1,746 yards, 13 TD, 8 INT so far. Both throw interceptions and complete a lot.

Compared with the 158 FBS starters this season for throws and running, and with 219 quarterbacks across 2 seasons for the matches, on how they play and how they have done.

This week

  • RecordLSU is 6-2, No. 15 in the AP poll (week 10).
  • Fans after Auburn

    I wish Leavitt would make up his mind too lmao

    LSU fan

What’s being said

9 stories this week, from 7 outlets.

Oct 30: 1Nov 1: 3Nov 2: 3Nov 3: 2Oct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 3
Oct 30: 1Nov 1: 3Nov 2: 3Nov 3: 2Oct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 3
Stories per day.

Todd McShay: Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, Sam Leavitt 'would and should return to school'

On3 Nov 2

All 309 stories this season

Worth knowing

  • Sam Leavitt has 8 rushing touchdowns, 6th among FBS quarterbacks.
  • Sam Leavitt was second-team All-Big 12 in 2024 at Arizona State.

His most important play this season

  1. Q3, 3:05 · LSU down 10Sam Leavitt finds Winston Watkins for a 26-yard touchdownLSU at Ole Miss, week 3Q3, 3:05 · LSU 21, Ole Miss 24▲24%LSU’s chance to win, 14% to 38%▲24%LSU’s chance to win, 14% to 38%S.Leavitt pass complete deep right to W.Watkins Jr. caught at OM00, for 26 yards to the OM00 touchdown, 1ST DOWN, kick goodWatch from this playESPN College Football

All 25 of his plays on video

The story

As of

Leavitt's college career has been a spike and a setback. As a redshirt freshman in 2024 he was the engine of one of the sport's best turnaround stories, leading Arizona State to a Big 12 championship and a Playoff berth. His 2025 never got going — a broken stretch of seven games before injuries ended it.

Read the rest of the story

So he hit the portal as its top quarterback and chose the highest-pressure landing spot available: Baton Rouge, as the first starter of Lane Kiffin's LSU. The fit is the story — a mobile, gunslinging passer handed the keys to an offense built by one of the sport's sharpest play-callers, on a roster expected to return to the Playoff in Year 1.

The forward question is health and fit: a full, healthy season of the 2024 version of Leavitt makes LSU a contender and Kiffin's debut a hit. Anything less, and a new era opens with a familiar question at quarterback.

In LSU's 32-24 loss at Ole Miss, Leavitt completed 16 of 27 passes for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and ran 17 times for 63 yards and a score. In LSU's 35-34 loss at Kentucky, Leavitt completed 25 of 34 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, ran 15 times for 39 yards and a score, and lost a fumble.

Sources