PAYSON – Sam Leavitt and Jeff Sims played against each other last year in the Big 10. Now they are teammates at Arizona State and fighting for the same job.
They were the main attraction on Saturday morning when the Sun Devils took to the picturesque tree-lined grass field at Camp Tontonzona for a practice that capped off four days of practices and team bonding exercises.
Less than three weeks before the season opener against Wyoming, ASU coach Kenny Dillingham is still evaluating his quarterback candidates, both rookies, with Leavitt coming from Michigan State and Sims from Nebraska.
It was Leavitt gaining some separation in the live game. His first pass attempt was picked off at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Keyshaun Elliott. Leavitt fumbled two plays later, but recovered from the mishap and ended up throwing for two touchdowns, one to running back Kyson Brown and the other to tight end Chamon Metayer. He also ran five yards for another.
“I thought Sam had a really good day. He started out a little slow, but he really responded after that mess.” said coach Kenny Dillingham.
Leavitt, who ran five units, was pleased with his showing and said he will continue to try to win the position.
“I started off a little bad, but I managed to overcome it,” he said. “Things don’t always go well and it’s about how you bounce back from adversity or a bad play, so I was happy I was able to do that.
Sims, who struggled with turnovers last season at Nebraska, had two interceptions, one from linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu and the other from defensive back Kamari Wilson. He also took four bags, three in one unit. His best of five attempts was one in which he completed three straight passes, but ended with a 45-yard field goal by Ian Hershey.
Both quarterbacks have strong arms and give ASU more mobility at the position than last year, but that’s where the similarities end. Sims is on his third stop, having started his career at Georgia Tech. He is in his final season of college eligibility, so there is a sense of urgency for him to excel.
“I think in Nebraska the pressure didn’t come from all the fans in the atmosphere,” he said after Friday’s practice. “It came from myself. I lost track of why I was doing this. I tried to do a lot. I thought too much. Like I was in my head, but I wouldn’t say the external factors in Nebraska put pressure on me. I think I put too much pressure on myself.”
Leavitt made a few cameos last year in East Lansing but kept his redshirt, opting out after the coaching change there. He took first-team reps in all but one practice. Dillingham highlighted Leavitt as the favorite coming out of spring ball, although Sims was not yet in the group.
During spring practice, ASU was down to just two scholarship quarterbacks, Leavitt and senior Trenton Bourguet, with true freshman Navi Bruzon, who starred at Liberty High School in Peoria, also seeing some action.
Bourguet had a solid day, leading two touchdown drives, one ending with a touchdown to speedy freshman Zechariah Sample and the other on a crossing route to Jamaal Young II, but both came against the third-team defense. The Tucson native is in his sixth year with the program and is the longest-tenured player on offense with injured defensive lineman Anthonie Cooper, who has been with the group for so long.
Bourget, who played high school ball at Marana High School, became a fan favorite. Spectators along a sideline held up letters reading THANK YOU TB16, a gesture the quarterback recognized.
The Sun Devils will have Sunday off and return to the practice field on Monday.
This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Sam Leavitt and Jeff Sims battle for Arizona State QB spot
