Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt (foot) to have season-ending surgery

Arizona State starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, the preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a lingering foot injury, coach Kenny Dillingham said Friday.

Dillingham, speaking to 98.7 FM Radio’s “Bickley & Marotta Mornings” Friday, said Leavitt will not travel with the team to Iowa State for Saturday’s game as he prepares for surgery. Leavitt was injured Sept. 20 against Baylor and has been in and out of the Arizona State lineup.

He played in last week’s loss to Houston, completing 18 of 35 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown, but left the game in the fourth quarter and was listed as out for the Iowa State game in the Big 12 availability report released Thursday night. The redshirt sophomore has 1,628 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions this season for Arizona State, which fell to 5-3 after Houston’s loss.

“It’s definitely something that persists all year round,” Dillingham said this week. “It’s definitely something that could definitely turn into that (long term), just because it hasn’t progressed the way we hoped. He’s dealt with that most of the year. He hasn’t been at full speed, so we’ll definitely re-evaluate that during the bye and make a decision from there.”

Leavitt led Arizona State to the program’s first Big 12 title and first College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, passing for 2,885 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He entered this season as one of the best quarterbacks in the country and a potential NFL Draft prospect.

Arizona State will start veteran Jeff Sims at quarterback against Iowa State. Sims replaced Leavitt on October 11 against Utah and completed 18 of 38 passes for 124 yards. He also started playing at Nebraska and Georgia Tech earlier in his career.

The Sun Devils have dealt with numerous injuries and will not have center Ben Coleman, safety Xavion Alford and others available for the game against Iowa State. Star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is doubtful after missing the Houston game with a hamstring injury.