ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt is out for the remainder of the season, head coach Kenny Dillingham announced on Arizona Sports' Bickley & Marotta Show on Friday.
The redshirt sophomore has been fighting a "lingering" injury and will now undergo a season-ending surgery.
"Early in the Baylor game," Dillingham said on the origin of the injury on the show. "He's been battling and fighting; he's the ultimate competitor ... This is the worst news he wanted to hear, because it means he can't play football. He loves the game of football; he loves this place."
In the Sun Devils' third and most recent loss to Houston on Oct. 25, Leavitt was in and out of the game due to injury, and he was seen wearing a boot during practice this week.
The news calls for an end to a season where Leavitt had already thrown for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns to just three picks with almost a 61% completion rate.
During his time in Tempe, the Sun Devils haven't fared well without their general. Last season, he was out for one of their two conference losses. This year, between their two conference losses, he was out for one (Utah) and on and off the field for the other (Houston).
Pulling the plug on Leavitt's season means the weight of their final four Big 12 games, and anything that may come after, falls on the shoulders of redshirt senior Jeff Sims.
Last season, Sims started in place of Leavitt against Cincinnati, where he threw for 155 yards and no touchdowns at a roughly 52% rate. He also took it himself 14 times, rushing for 53 yards. The Sun Devils ultimately lost 24-14.
This year, he led the Sun Devils into Utah and threw for 124 yards and no touchdowns, rushing for 66 yards on 21 carries. The Sun Devils fell 42-10. Against the Cougars, when Sims stepped in for Leavitt, he completed six of 11 passes for one touchdown.
Despite the Sun Devil heartbreak, Dillingham isn't giving up.
"Our guys are competitors, our guys are fighters and our guys are going to want to do whatever they can to win the football game," he said on the show. "That's the culture that you build … I hope we start fast, and we play with passion."
This story is developing and may be updated.
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Senna James and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at hjsmardo@gmail.com and follow @HenryJSmardo on X.
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Henry is a senior studying journalism and mass communication. This is his fifth semester with The State Press. He has also interned with the JUCO World Series, KREX 5/Fox 4, and Cronkite's Brand Engagement and Communications Team.
