It looks like transfer portal quarterback Sam Leavitt will be in Knoxville a bit longer than he originally expected. According to a report from VolQuest’s Austin Price on Thursday morning, Leavitt has extended his visit with the Tennessee football program. Rather than leaving on Thursday afternoon, Price’s report states that Leavitt will instead be leaving on Friday.
Tennessee is swinging for the fences when it comes to Leavitt’s recruitment. The former Arizona State quarterback is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal, according to both 247Sports and On3 Sports. He’s a game-changing signal-caller who already comes with College Football Playoff experience, as he led the Sun Devils to the postseason tournament during the 2024 season. Arizona State received a bye as the No. 4 seed before losing to No. 5 seed Texas in double overtime in the quarterfinals.
According to 247Sports’ Chris Hummer, Leavitt arrived on Tennessee’s campus on Wednesday for a visit with head coach Josh Heupel and his staff. Combine that with Price’s updated report on Thursday and you’ve got a good idea of just how long Leavitt will be around the Vols’ program.
Tennessee is the third program that Leavitt has visited while in the portal. He first visited Kentucky before spending some time with LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin earlier in the week. Kentucky, though, has moved on from the Leavitt sweepstakes. The Wildcats and new head coach Will Stein signed Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey as their next guy earlier in the week.
On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos believes that Tennessee has a good shot at landing Leavitt.
“Sam Leavitt’s been to Kentucky and LSU now. He’s going to go to Tennessee. I would tell you this. I think Sam Leavitt is still evaluating his options,” On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos said on Wednesday’s episode of Rivals’ Recruiting Show with Josh Newberg. “He obviously has not committed to LSU; that didn’t happen on the visit… I’ll tell you this, too. I think Tennessee has a legitimate chance to land Sam Leavitt.”
Nakos did note that it is “extremely unclear” where Leavitt is going, but the fact that Tennessee has been able to get him on campus for an extended period of time is a sign of optimism for the Vols.
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During his 2024 season while leading the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoffs, Leavitt threw for 2,885 yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also ran the ball 110 times for 443 yards and five touchdowns during the season.
Leavitt’s 2025 season was cut short due to injury. He first suffered a foot injury in a conference game in late September, but pushed through the play a few more games in October. Eventually, Leavitt wound up getting season-ending surgery to take him off the table for the entirety of November. While playing in seven games in 2025, Leavitt racked up 1,628 passing yards on 60.7% passing with 10 passing touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added in 306 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Leavitt’s injury has prompted specific medical conversations during his visits, according to Nakos.
“There have been some conversations when he gets to campus about his medical evaluations,” Nakos said. “He missed the back half of the season. It’s unclear if he’d be able to return for spring ball and how that could look.”
There’s a ton of moving parts with Leavitt’s recruitment, and as Nakos alluded to, it’s entirely unclear which direction he’ll go. But getting the star quarterback on campus is a huge move from Tennessee, which could pay dividends down the road. We’ll just have to wait and see how things shake out.
Tennessee has added three transfer portal players so far, with Kansas State safety Qua Moss, LSU offensive tackle Ory Williams, and Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football transfer portal coverage.
