As Lane Kiffin constructs LSU's roster for his first season in Baton Rouge, Tiger fans are eager to see how he approaches the quarterback situation. Michael Van Buren is currently the only scholarship QB slated to return next season, which leaves a lot of question marks as to who LSU's QB1 will be at the start of the 2026 season.
Industry expert has LSU firmly in the mix for highly-touted transfer QB
One industry expert has the perfect fit in mind for Kiffin and LSU: Sam Leavitt. J.D. PicKell of On3 stated that Leavitt to LSU "would just make too much sense."
PicKell notes Kiffin's recent track record of developing and elevating QBs from the portal at Ole Miss. Kiffin helped Jaxson Dart become a First Round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and this past season, helped Trinidad Chambliss burst onto the national scene after several seasons at the Division II level.
Sam Leavitt to LSU would just make too much sense.https://t.co/Y90UmGJdj3 pic.twitter.com/tgA7qCccuN
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) December 17, 2025
Is there a chance Sam Leavitt is LSU's QB1 next season?
PicKell also noted that he believes Leavitt wouldn't leave his current situation at Arizona State unless he wanted to go prove himself at a power conference in the SEC or Big Ten. If Leavitt has NFL aspirations and want to improve his draft stock, the best way to do so is to play against future NFL players on a weekly basis in the SEC.
Leavitt spent the 2023 season at Michigan State before transferring to Arizona State. He put together a sensational 2024 campaign, throwing for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions to lead the Sun Devils to a Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. He also added 443 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.
He entered the 2025 season as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, but a foot injury that required surgery derailed his campaign. But he was effective when healthy. The West Linn, OR native threw for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns with 3 interceptions over the course of 7 games. He also racked up 306 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.
Kiffin is known as a bit of a quarterback guru, and pairing up with Leavitt could yield tremendous results. The LSU offense struggled mightily in 2025, ranking 15th in the SEC scoring 21.8 points per game during the regular season. The Tigers never scored more than 25 points in a game against an FBS opponent, and are in desperate need of a dynamic playmaker at QB. Leavitt could be the answer.