Sam Leavitt is the face of Arizona State football – that there is little doubt about.

Perhaps the most significant move of Kenny Dillingham’s tenure as head coach in Tempe was adding the freshman quarterback that opted to depart Michigan State following a coaching change within that program.

Leavitt was trusted by Dillingham to compete with incumbent starting QB Jaden Rashada – the former won out handily in spring camp last year.

He then started out the 2024 season fairly modestly before bursting onto the scene over the course of the second half of the 12-game regular season – to the point of taking the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award.

Leavitt now enters the upcoming season as a potential Heisman Trophy contender and NFL draft pick next April – but that may not even the the 20 year old’s most significant accomplishment.

Leavitt has been named as a finalist for the ‘Philanthropic Spirit Award’ for the NIL Store Awards,

More on the nomination below:

“Arizona State starting quarterback went the extra mile for his teammates, pledging to donate all of his merchandise sales commissions to his fellow teammates.”

Leavitt announced that he would donate his NIL earnings from the 2024 season back into the Sun Angel Collective – the general Arizona State NIL fund – so his teammates could profit off of the Big 12 championship season.

The redshirt sophomore went above and beyond that move as well – as the West Linn, Oregon native donated $15,000 to the Pat Tillman Foundation, while also being adamant that Arizona State is exactly where he wants to be, confirming that he rebuffed potentially interested programs that he could have transferred to.

Leavitt’s impressive display of leadership is possibly the most glaring example of the culture that Dillingham has worked to instill in Tempe over the last two seasons – that extends to the coordinators, position coaches, both sides of the ball, and everything in between.

Sun Devil fans should feel proud that Leavitt is the representative of the program for the time being.

Read more about former Arizona State WR Ricky Pearsall giving back to Tempe despite leaving the Arizona State program after the 2021 season here, and if Arizona State is in position to be the power broker of the newly formed Big 12 long term here.

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