BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) 鈥� Quarterback Sam Leavitt makes his decision to transfer to LSU sound like something out of a dream.
鈥淵ou know, I鈥檓 from Oregon. So, Louisiana kind of felt almost fake to me in a way. I didn鈥檛 think it was a real place,” Leavitt said with a grin that assured listeners his comments weren’t meant to be taken literally.
鈥淏ut after being out here, you know, I just love the trees, and I鈥檝e always wanted to be in the South,鈥� Leavitt continued. “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, you know? Everything like that. So, it鈥檚 been amazing.鈥�
Certainly, Leavitt would appear to be in for an experience bordering on surreal.
The 21-year-old, former Arizona State star will be at the center of one of the biggest stories in college football in 2026: LSU’s first season under lightning-rod coach Lane Kiffin, a designer of prolific offenses whose notoriety only grew after his unusual, late-season just as his former team, Mississippi, was about to enter the 2025 College Football Playoff.
Leavitt not only will operate Kiffin’s cutting-edge offense under the SEC spotlight, but play home games in 102,000-seat Tiger Stadium, one of the most famous and raucous sporting venues anywhere.
Leavitt already has enjoyed offseason experiences 鈥� and luxuries 鈥� rivaling those of starting NFL QBs. An LSU booster, attorney Gordon McKernan, supplied Leavitt with a private jet last month so he could take receivers and tight ends on a training and bonding trip to Dallas, where they stayed together in a rental home.
鈥淪omething I’ve always wanted to do: Hop on a pj with the guys and go train,鈥� Leavitt said. 鈥淚t really created a tighter bond with us and I was just really grateful to be able to do that with them.鈥�
What remains to be seen is whether Leavitt can stay healthy 鈥� and win.
Leavitt took first-team snaps in practice drills on Monday and began his first media interviews since joining the Tigers by offering assurances that his 2025 right foot injury is no longer a matter of concern.
鈥淚鈥檝e been 100% for the past few months,鈥� said Leavitt, who has not played in a game since late October and missed most of spring practice. 鈥淚 really don鈥檛 think about it out on the field at all.鈥�
Leavitt went on to describe himself as something of a health nut.
鈥淢y health is one thing that I take very seriously, whether it鈥檚 the food I eat, the way I sleep, the way I recover,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of something that I prioritize in my life, I think to kind of an extreme level. So yeah, I鈥檓 ready to go.”
Kiffin concurred, declaring that Leavitt was coming off 鈥渁 great week鈥� of practice in which Leavitt was 鈥渢aking care of the ball, throwing really accurate and on time.鈥�
鈥淲e’re really excited about him,鈥� Kiffin added.
Leavitt, who began his college career at Michigan State in 2023, was one of the stars of Arizona State’s 2024 CFP team that before in overtime in the national quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl.
Leavitt passed for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions that season. He also rushed for five scores.
Last season, however, Leavitt played through foot pain before he ultimately was sidelined in late-October that required two surgeries and months of recovery.
鈥淚t was definitely more challenging within the first four or five months,鈥� Leavitt recalled. 鈥淜eeping my head down and putting in the work and understanding that delayed gratification was a big thing for me 鈥� you know, how much can I put in the work without seeing just immediate results?鈥�
During that recovery, Kiffin persuaded Leavitt to include Baton Rouge in his college visits while he was in the transfer portal.
鈥淚t’s kind of an easy sell,鈥� Kiffin said, alluding to recent Heisman Trophy-winning QBs Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels. 鈥淵ou’re playing quarterback at LSU, which has been a pretty good move the last 10 years.鈥�
Leavitt said he didn’t want to go into detail about how he was recruited out of the transfer portal, but did say that Kiffin 鈥渄efinitely did some great tactics.”
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect it to go in that direction,鈥� Leavitt said of committing to LSU. 鈥淭hen when I came out here, took my visit, just kind of fell in love with the place, fell in love with the vision.
鈥淎nd LSU, you walk around and it鈥檚 a historic place,鈥� Leavitt said. 鈥淛ust been so many great players to come out of here. … I don鈥檛 really see how anyone can pass it up.鈥�
___
AP college football: and
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
