In the high-stakes world of college football, it seems the Arizona State Sun Devils, helmed by the compelling quarterback Sam Leavitt, are set to clash with the Texas Longhorns in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day. According to a Fox 10 Phoenix report, Leavitt, a tenacious presence on the field, has taken the fourth-seeded Arizona State to heights unseen since '96, and his efforts outside the gridiron have been just as commendable—like funneling his merchandise royalties back into the Sun Devils' NIL collective.
With a journey that took him from frustration over losses as the youngest sibling in a competitive household, Leavitt has channeled that fire into becoming the "steady hand at the wheel" for the Sun Devils, this while boasting impressive stats with 2,663 yards and 24 touchdowns for the season, he is a clear difference-maker for a team that has bested four ranked opponents on their way to a sensational season, sensational also because it stands in contrast to their modest three-win effort from the previous year. Families in the stands likely resonate with Tania Leavitt's words when she acknowledged her son's distaste for losing: "It's not like he ever was a good loser," Tania told Fox 10 Phoenix, "He's a terrible loser. He lost all the time and would freak out every time."
Switching focus to the team's preparation, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham stressed the importance of concentrating on the collective challenge ahead rather than individual narratives, even amidst a backdrop of player swaps between programs, as AZ Central outlined, it's clear that while personal backstories add drama, for Dillingham, it's the game itself that matters most, stating "I would hope everybody, if you're not equally as excited if you're from Texas or if you're from, I don't know, pick your state. If you're not equally excited to play in the Peach Bowl with eight teams left in college football, then we got a problem."
Coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns acknowledges the transient nature of modern college football, where players frequently move between rival programs. He emphasized that this inter-team movement shouldn't distract from the primary goal: competing at the highest level. Speaking to AZ Central, Sarkisian remarked, "This is college football in 2024 and moving forward," he said. "It's almost got a little bit of an NFL feel that way."
