Sam Leavitt

The Player

Simply put, Leavitt can do things on a football field that very few quarterbacks are capable of. While he may not be a once-in-a-generation talent, his combination of athleticism, speed, arm talent, and playmaking instincts is exceptionally rare. More than any player in the 2026 class, he’s the quarterback I’m most excited to study this fall. In Lane Kiffin’s system, his skill set could produce one of the most explosive offenses in college football.

Leavitt is a dynamic athlete who can instantly turn broken plays into explosive gains. He extends plays with his feet, showing outstanding quickness, acceleration, and instincts outside the pocket. His arm talent is equally impressive. He generates elite velocity with a loose, effortless throwing motion, snapping the football from a variety of arm angles and platforms while maintaining impressive energy through the release. He can comfortably drive the ball 60 yards downfield without needing to overstride, and he routinely attacks tight windows that many quarterbacks wouldn’t even attempt. Just as importantly, he has a natural feel for layering throws and varying trajectory, an innate trait that is difficult to teach.

The next phase of his development is becoming a more disciplined, on-schedule passer. His ball placement can be inconsistent, particularly on routine underneath throws, which sometimes become unnecessarily difficult. Much of that stems from relying too heavily on off-script creativity instead of playing within the rhythm of the offense. At times, Leavitt lives and dies by chaos. The challenge for Kiffin will be marrying route timing to Leavitt’s footwork, helping him develop a more repeatable pocket rhythm without sacrificing the creativity that makes him special. It’s a developmental path that resembles Patrick Mahomes’s early years in Kansas City, where structure was gradually layered onto his extraordinary natural instincts. 

More than anything, I love the way Leavitt competes. He has that rare quality shared by quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Josh Allen, and Mahomes—a relentless will to win paired with uncanny instincts when the biggest moments arrive. It seems like he’s only scratching the surface of what he can become.

The Projection

Leavitt’s high grade is admittedly based in large part on the combination of his elite skill set—outside of his shorter frame—and the opportunity to work with Kiffin for a full season. Kiffin specializes in the areas Leavitt needs to improve most, particularly decisiveness with his reads, playing on schedule, and limiting critical errors. If Leavitt absorbs that coaching while maintaining his creative brilliance, he could emerge as a top-15 pick in next April’s draft.