Saturday will mark redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt’s fifth career collegiate game, but the first one at the helm of the Sun Devil offense. Extensive practice looks have prepared him for this moment, and ASU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo is eager to see how the preparation process he and his signal caller went through reveals itself in the first official game of the 2024 season.
“We’ll find out how game-ready Sam is,” Arroyo said. “The guy has only played a few games, and at this point, we’re trying to get him as ready as he can. He’s had a bunch of reps in practice, about 1500 total, and we won’t know until the lights come on. There’s going to be growing pains for us, but that’s a part of it.”
Another test at the beginning of the season will be Arroyo’s system pairing with Leavitt’s play style. Arroyo primarily stayed on the West coast during his college career in various stops in the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences, alongside a brief two-year period with Southern Miss and Oklahoma State. For the most part, his philosophy is different than the playing style Leavitt was accustomed to last year at Michigan State. Nonetheless, ever since the now famous six-hour meeting during the quarterback’s official visit to Tempe, both individuals have built an effective coach-player relationship.
“We spend a lot of time together in the film room,” Arroyo mentioned. “We spend a lot of time when we plan to practice. I try to use any kind of teaching tool we can, whether it’s film, written, or any modality we’ve got to our extent. The more time we get together, we start thinking symbiotically. Hopefully, that connection starts to continue to gel, which usually does when we spend that much time together.”
Arroyo spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons at Wyoming as a quarterbacks’ coach and has faced the Cowboys numerous times throughout his career. Before his arrival in Tempe, Arroyo was UNLV’s head coach from 2020-2022, where he faced Wyoming twice and split the series with the Cowboys. With his familiarity with that program and its playing style, Arroyo feels these are tools he can utilize in formulating his game plan.
“I know what they’re all about,” Arroyo acclaimed. “It’s a really tough, hard-working, and blue-collar operation that has been for a really long time. It’s in their DNA of how they play, and Coach (Craig) Bohl has kept it rolling and done an amazing job. Now he’s gone, and (head coach) Jay (Sawvel) is there to take it over. I don’t see much of a change in regards to the DNA of that football program, and they’re going to play a tough brand of football.”
One of the major changes going into this college football season is the ability of the offense and defense for coaches to communicate with their players through a headset installed in helmets. On offense, the quarterback will handle the duties, and the middle linebacker will be the ears and play caller of the defense. The technology has been in the NFL for some time and has finally made its way to the collegiate level, where the coaches can relay instructions up to 15 seconds before the play clock ends.
“We’ve worked on it as much as we can,” Arroyo remarked. “We’ve tried to use every way to use public communication, in the stadium, in the box, but obviously not on game day yet. It’s pretty cool to have it in college, although it took a pretty long time. They give you some edges if you can use them effectively, so I’m excited to see it all play out on both sides of the ball. Now, before that 15-second clock, you may have some time to communicate with the guys that you didn’t have before, and that can be used as an advantage.”
“You get to have constant dialogue with your coach, but I can’t speak back,” Leavitt joked. “If we line up quickly enough, we get to talk about certain looks, and coaches can tell me to check on different plays. It’s an advantage for the offense and defense as well, and coaches can see things in the box and make a check right there. The coaches are also able to give me reminders on certain plays even if we don’t switch it, so it’s beneficial in many aspects.”
Leavitt has displayed his work ethic and hunger to improve each day, and as preparations continue for Saturday, his excitement for game day, which breaks the monotony of preseason practices, is palpable. He’s keen to display the strides he has made since his January arrival.
“It’s been really refreshing going from fall camp to being able to game plan for a new team,” Leavitt noted. “I’ve been watching film and talking about the looks that we like, and coming out here and seeing it live is super fun. When you get those looks and can capitalize on them is my favorite part, and I feel really good. I’m just constantly trying to grow and understand what we like, and I’m super excited and prepared.”
As a player with less experience than most of his teammates, Leavitt doesn’t let that affect his confidence. Leavitt’s tenacity is a trait that he hopes is contagious, as he strives for his fellow ASU players to display that same level of high energy. It’s an approach that allows him to carry himself with maturity beyond his years, which does pay dividends in between the lines.
“I try not to think about the nervousness too much,” Leavitt explained. “It’s the same as spring ball and fall camp every single day, and you’re trying to be the best you can. It means a whole bunch to be the starter of this team, and it’s a testament to the work I put in. Now I have to go put on for my team and I need to be the person everyone expects me to be, not just for my team and coaches, but for the whole fan base. I understand what I have to do, and I hold myself to a higher standard and have become a more mature person through it.”
But as much as Leavitt tries to be even keel as the preseason is quickly coming to an end, he’s naturally anxious to see how the Sun Devils perform under the lights of Mountain America Stadium. He’s seen the potential of this team in August practices and knows is confident that the talent level will realize its promise this year.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Leavitt expressed. “I don’t even know what our team is capable of yet, but I see it in practice, and I know what we can do out there is gonna be a different story. I’m really excited to see how people respond, and one of the main things we talk about with Coach (Kenny) Dillingham is response. Our team’s done a good job of that since spring ball up until now in every aspect of life, so I’m excited to get out there and perform.”
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