Best College Football Transfer Portal Addition For Every Top 25 Team

In a recent ESPN article, College Football writer Max Olson selected key portal pickups to know for each Way-Too-Early Top 25 team.

For LSU, Olson's pick was easy: new quarterback Sam Leavitt from Arizona State:

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15. LSU Tigers
2025 record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC

Top portal addition: Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State

The quest for Leavitt was an absolute must-win recruiting battle against Miami and Tennessee for Lane Kiffin and an LSU squad hunting for an elite QB1 for 2026. Leavitt, the No. 3 overall player in ESPN's transfer rankings, was a top-10 passer in QBR in 2024, putting up 3,328 total yards and 29 TDs while leading Arizona State to a Big 12 title and a CFP berth as a redshirt freshman. The Big 12's preseason Offensive Player of the Year was limited to seven games in 2025 because of a foot injury and is ready for a big comeback year with the reloaded Tigers in the SEC. LSU signed eight of the top 100 players in ESPN's transfer rankings with No. 1 tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado) and No. 1 edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss) also joining Leavitt in Baton Rouge.

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Leavitt is coming off a 2025 campaign that was cut short due to a Lisfranc foot injury he suffered on Sept. 20 against Baylor, followed by season-ending surgery in late October.

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin recently said that Leavitt will be able to throw in the spring and participate in 7-on-7, but "not team stuff," as he recovers from the injury.

LSU's spring practice will start Tuesday, March 24. Full Spring Practice Schedule.

See all of LSU's transfer portal additions here.