Joel Klatt makes compelling case for Sam Leavitt as top ten QB in college football

Transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt burst onto the college football national scene last season, as he led Arizona State to a Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff as a redshirt freshman. This season, Joel Klatt is calling for the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year to make an even bigger leap as a top 10 quarterback in all of college football.

Leavitt, who spent his first season at Michigan State before heading to Arizona State, threw for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns (six interceptions) last season. Aided by Heisman finalist running back Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils made a run to the College Football Playoff, where they fell to Texas in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

On the May 19 edition of Klatt’s podcast “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast,” he ranked Leavitt as the No. 4 quarterback for the 2025 season. That was ahead of Penn State‘s Drew Allar, LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier, Florida‘s DJ Lagway, South Carolina‘s Lanorris Sellers, Illinois‘ Luke Altmeyer and Miami‘s Carson Beck.

Jordyn Tyson is the X-Factor

“I think that [Leavitt] again could have a tremendous season,” Klatt said. “They’ve got to find a way to recoup the loss of Cam Skattebo, though. Skattebo was so important to them outside of the numbers that he produced, as he was terrific for them in so many ways. Yet, their redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt was one of the best in the country, plus he gets Jordyn Tyson back with him.”

Tyson, who sat out the previous season due to injury, blossomed into one of the great receivers in all of college football last season. He was fifth in the Big 12 with 1,101 receiving yards and tied for second in the league with 10 receiving touchdowns. His return is massive for a Sun Devil team looking to head back to the Playoff this season.

“Leavitt is a threat with his legs on the scramble, he ran for 60 yards against Texas in that CFP game. He impressed with his poise that game. I think he’s a terrific player and again, I trust Kenny Dillingham. You’ve got Jordyn Tyson on the outside. Those are the factors that lead me to believe that Leavitt is going to have one of the five best years in college football at the quarterback position.”

Not many were higher on Klatt’s list than Leavitt. Just Oklahoma’s John Mateer, Texas’ Arch Manning and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik were ranked ahead of him.