An SEC defensive coordinator isn’t buying the Sam Leavitt hype.
Leavitt, who was viewed by some earlier this year as the No. 1-ranked available player in the transfer portal, is now the new starting quarterback at LSU. But according to a comment ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg received from an anonymous SEC defensive coordinator, the league isn’t exactly quaking at the thought of facing him.
“He's not the talent level that a normal LSU quarterback would be,” the defenisve coordinator told Rittenburg. “If (LSU has success), it's going to be because they got him going in the system.
He doesn't freak you out when you watch him, but he is dangerous at times. I would rather play him than Diego Pavia.”
That last part reads like the real shot. Diego Pavia, the former Vanderbilt star, may have been more of a scrappy competitor than a polished passer, but the coordinator still said he’d rather line up against Leavitt.
It’s the kind of comment Leavitt can stash away for later, even if he may never know exactly which coordinator said it - or whether that defense is even on LSU’s schedule this season.
Leavitt arrives at LSU with a standard that’s about as unforgiving as it gets. The Tigers have spent the past decade rolling out quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels, both Heisman Trophy winners, plus Garrett Nussmeier, another elite name in that line of succession. That’s the bar now.
His path to Baton Rouge also comes with a reminder of what he’s already shown and what he hasn’t. Last year at Arizona State, injuries limited him to seven games. Before that, though, he helped push Arizona State to a Big 12 Championship title and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024.
That season put him on the national map. With Cam Skattebo and Jordyn Tyson around him, Leavitt still put up nearly 2,900 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. The SEC may not be trembling yet, but Leavitt has already done enough to earn some respect - and enough to give himself plenty to prove at LSU.
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