LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt spoke to the media for the first time since transferring from Arizona State, marking his first formal presser as an LSU player. His lack of media appearances,including at SEC Media Days, was partly due to his recovery from a broken foot that ended his season early last year.
At Arizona State, Leavitt established himself as one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the transfer portal by leading the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. The No. 1 rated player in the portal according to both 247Sports and On3, he threw for more than 4,500 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions and added 749 rushing yards and 10 scores.
Now that he's with LSU, Leavitt is ready to push forward, and he didn't hold back with his thoughts on what the transition to SEC ball has been for him thus far.
Sam Leavitt is quickly learning what makes Louisiana different
Leavitt’s transition to LSU will have a lot to do with learning Kiffin's offense, considering the Oregon native had to get used to a completely different culture in Louisiana, let alone the Deep South. However, he has embraced being down on the bayou, quickly developing an appreciation for Baton Rouge, the state’s passion, and even the Southern weather.
"The people are great in Louisiana," he said. "The passion, just walking down the street is pretty incredible. Just, the way that they love the state and put on for the state, it just makes you want to be here even more. People around the facility, just showing so much love to Baton Rouge and the entire area. It's just been a blessing being out here. I'm from Oregon, so Louisiana kind of felt almost fake to me, in a way. I didn't think it was a real place. But after being out here, I just love the trees and I've always wanted to be in the south. The humidity, obviously, was something I had to get used to, but I love it now. I love the way it makes my skin feel and everything like that. So it's been amazing."
Why Sam Leavitt fell in love with LSU during a wild portal process
While he did not go into detail about everything that happened with his decision to commit to LSU out of the portal, he noted that the more he learned about LSU through his visit, as well as Kiffin’s vision, the more Leavitt saw LSU as an ideal place to take the next step in his development.
“Portal process was pretty crazy," Leavitt said. "I didn’t expect it to go in that direction, just the whole situation, and then when I came out here, took my visit and just kind of fell in love with the place. Fell in love with the vision and LSU. You walk around and it’s a historic place and just so many great players come out of here. Then you view the players that you’re going to play against every day in practice, going up against guys like Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery and Ty Benefield. It’s a special situation for me to be in just to be able to grind every single day and get better. That’s ultimately the end goal, to come here and be with this staff, it’s a situation where I don’t really see how anyone can pass it up.”
Sam Leavitt is building something special with Lane Kiffin, Charlie Weis Jr.
That connection with LSU has only strengthened since Leavitt arrived in Baton Rouge in January. As he has settled into Kiffin’s program, Leavitt has found common ground with a coaching staff that matches his approach to preparation, with countless hours of work helping build trust on both sides.
“Just building the relationship with the guys upstairs in the office, I think they really see my passion for the game and I see theirs," Leavitt said. "I’d say this staff is probably the hardest working staff I’ve been around and it’s just a blessing for me to be held accountable in that way. Just constantly grinding. I just keep saying, we’ve been grinding, we’ve been grinding ’cause that’s really what it’s been. It’s been a grind since I got here in January. Just being around them and them seeing my work ethic and me seeing theirs, I think the relationship just blossoms from there. Winning helps a little bit as well so probably down the road it’s going to get a little even better.”
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