Sam Leavitt bombshell report throws Arizona State into chaos

Sun Devil fans had their collective heart rates spike Tuesday morning, thanks to an out-of-left-field report from Pete Nakos of On3 that Sam Leavitt is considering entering the transfer portal.

According to Nakos, Leavitt and his team are shopping his talents "at a high level" and looking to cash in on some NIL value heading into the offseason. This comes just days after Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham publicly vouched for his administration being "all-in" on supporting football financially.

Leavitt entered the season with dark horse Heisman odds, and his elite connection with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson threatened to turn the Sun Devils into one of the most potent offenses in football. But Leavitt suffered up-and-down performances and, later, was revealed to have been playing through an injury. That ultimately led to him having surgery, ending his season early.

There has been quiet speculation since then that Leavitt may explore a transfer opportunity. Tyson is almost surely off to the NFL after this season, and a good chunk of Arizona State's starters - including multiple players on the offensive line - are all in the final year of their eligibility.

Leavitt may also be thinking about Jayden Daniels, who infamously left Arizona State after some early momentum to transfer to LSU. There, he became a Heisman winner and the second overall pick in last year's draft. While Daniels left under very different circumstances, Leavitt undoubtedly wants what Daniels got once he left Tempe.

For what it's worth, Leavitt's brother - former NFL safety Dallin Leavitt - took to Instagram just minutes after Nakos' report to seemingly throw cold water on the rumor.

The elder Leavitt shared a screenshot of a text conversation with Nakos, wherein he denies the suggestion that Leavitt has made a decision of any sort. Dallin Leavitt added on his story that "Y'all are a joke. Addressed this right before [Nakos] released the news..."

It should be noted, however, that he did not outright deny that the Sun Devil quarterback might enter the portal; all he said was that Leavitt has not made a decision, which is largely in line with what Nakos ended up reporting.

This will surely be something that every Sun Devil fan will keep a very close eye on moving forward. A departure of any sort this offseason would be a major blow to Arizona State's program.