How long is Sam Leavitt out? Arizona State QB out for the season with foot injury

The 5-3 Arizona State Sun Devils' quest to make it back to the Big 12 title game this season took a big hit on Friday. 

Heading into a critical Week 10 matchup at Iowa State on Saturday, ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham announced that starting quarterback Sam Leavitt will miss the rest of the season. 

Leavitt was initially ruled out of Saturday's contest vs. the Cyclones. During ASU's game last week against Houston, Leavitt left the game after taking a hard hit in the first quarter. 

Let's take a look at what Leavitt's injury means for Arizona State's season. 

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Sam Leavitt injury update

Leavitt has been dealing with a foot injury throughout most of the season. On Tuesday, Leavitt was spotted at the Sun Devils' practice wearing a walking boot. ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham told reporters that Leavitt has been dealing with the injury for most of the season.

"It's definitely something that's been lingering all year," Dillingham said. "It's definitely something that could definitely turn into that (long-term) for sure, just because it hasn't progressed like we hoped. He's been dealing with this for pretty much the whole year. He hasn't been at full speed, so we'll definitely reassess it during the bye and make a decision from there."

The initial injury occurred during ASU's 27-24 win over Baylor on Sept. 20. He played in Arizona State's 27-24 win over TCU but missed the Sun Devils' game on Oct. 11 at Utah. Backup Jeff Sims played for him, finishing with 124 yards passing along with taking five sacks. 

Leavitt appeared to re-aggravate the injury last week during ASU's 24-16 loss to Houston. He was seen walking to the locker room with a noticeable limp: 

Sam Leavitt is headed to the locker room.@InfernoIntel pic.twitter.com/f8201Thcyf

— Colin Hogan (@_colinhogan) October 26, 2025

Sims played in the first quarter while Leavitt went to the locker room, but Leavitt returned shortly after. But ASU was already down 10-0, and the Sun Devils lost 24-16. 

On Friday morning, Dillingham unfortunately announced Leavitt was done for the year: 

— Adam Beadle (@therealbeadle) October 31, 2025

Leavitt had a breakout season for the Sun Devils last year. He helped lead Arizona State to a Big 12 Championship and surprise College Football berth, while throwing for 2,885 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He rushed for another 443 yards with five scores on the ground. 

Although he missed a game, Leavitt was on-pace for another huge season in 2025. Through seven games, he threw for 1,628 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, rushing for 306 yards with five scores. 

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Who is Sam Leavitt's backup?

With Leavitt out for the year, Arizona State will likely turn to Sims under center. On the season, Sims has completed 24 passes for 182 yards with a touchdown. He's rushed for 102 yards. 

Sims started his career at Georgia Tech in 2020, where he spent three seasons. He played for Nebraska in 2023 but didn't see much playing time. He was Leavitt's backup last season, as well. He's thrown for 5,096 yards with 32 touchdowns and 29 interceptions on his career, rushing for 1,558 yards with 13 scores on the ground. Arizona State also has true freshman Cam Dyer on its roster, who's been taking reps with Sims in practice: 

— Logan Brown (@LoganABrown) October 29, 2025

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What year is Sam Leavitt? 

Luckily for Leavitt, he has plenty of eligibility left. He is a redshirt sophomore, starting his career at Michigan State in 2023, where he took a redshirt. He transferred to ASU before the 2024 season.  

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