What a difference a year can make.
Last offseason, Sam Leavitt entered the college football transfer portal looking for a fresh start. He only appeared in four games as a freshman at Michigan State — then head coach Mel Tucker got fired.
Leavitt landed in Tempe, Arizona, looking to compete for the starting quarterback job for an Arizona State team that went 3-9 in its final season in the Pac-12.
Leavitt won the starting job, then led the Sun Devils on one of the most improbable runs in sports history. Picked to finish last in the Big 12, with incredibly long odds to even qualify for a bowl game, Arizona State won the Big 12 and earned a berth in the College Football Playoff.
And now Leavitt is cashing in.
Leavitt Reportedly Worth $3 Million
After announcing that he signed a new deal with the Sun Angel Collective on Tuesday, On3 updated Leavitt’s NIL valuation to a staggering $3 million, which puts him among the top 15 players in the country.
Among returning quarterbacks, Leavitt is No. 9 in the country in NIL valuation, behind Arch Manning (Texas), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Carson Beck (Georgia), DJ Lagway (Florida), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Drew Allar (Penn State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee).
Not bad for a quarterback who was lighlty recruited out of high school and wasn’t ranked among the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation coming out of West Linn High School in Oregon. He did not even receive an offer from his home-state Oregon State Beavers.
Earlier this season On3 placed Leavitt’s NIL valuation at $616,000, which was No. 15 in the Big 12.
Leavitt’s biggest local deal is with Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers, and it includes his own wrap. “The Sam Leavitt QB10 Wrap features your choice of Nashville hot chicken or grilled chicken, wrapped with romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, ranch, buffalo sauce, and fresh tomatoes.”
Leavitt, who has three seasons of college eligibility remaining, will be eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. And Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has no doubt that he is an NFL-level quarterback.
“Sam’s good. Sam’s really good. I keep saying it,” Dillingham said in late November. “Sam’s really good and we should be really happy that we have Sam and we have him for two to three more years. I mean, Sam’s going to play on Sundays. There’s zero doubt in my mind Sam’s an NFL player.”
In 13 games as a redshirt freshman, Leavitt completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also rushed 110 times for 443 yards and 5 touchdowns.