Miami Hurricanes start off week before national championship game with some news they were hoping not to get
A top transfer portal target for the Canes is set to join another program.
The Miami Hurricanes have a lot going on this week, as they prepare to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 19.
However, not everything that Mario Cristobal and his staff have been doing since their Fiesta Bowl win over Ole Miss has been in preparation for that game. There’s been the future to consider and prepare for, and Miami had one of the biggest names in the transfer portal on campus this cycle in Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Unfortunately, despite getting the final visit from the former Sun Devil, it doesn’t sound like Leavitt will be going to Coral Gables. Per ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Leavitt is expected to sign with the LSU Tigers.
Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt expected to sign with LSU over Miami
Leavitt certainly made the rounds and took his time before making his decision. He started with a visit to Kentucky before heading to Baton Rouge and meeting with Lane Kiffin. He then ended up going to Knoxville to visit the Vols and Josh Heupel on a two-day trip.
Oddly enough, Kiffin tweeted out pictures of himself in Knoxville on Friday. While he secured the commitment of Tennessee OL William Satterwhite that day, there was speculation he came up to try to convince Leavitt to go to LSU.
He continued on by going to Coral Gables, where he met with the Hurricanes over the weekend before returning to Arizona to make his decision. If Thamel is correct, then Kiffin will have his star quarterback to work with for potentially the next two seasons.
Leavitt is the top-rated player in the portal by On3 Sports. In two seasons at Arizona State (2024-25) and one at Michigan State (2023), he’s completed 61.7% of his passes for 4652 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with 816 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores. He led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024.
At this point, Miami is running out of experienced options. If they’re able to coax Ty Simpson away from the NFL Draft, as they’ve had rumored interest in the Alabama signal caller, that would be far and away their best option for next season. But as of Monday afternoon, Simpson hasn’t changed his plans. Emory Williams has starting experience in house, but his performance in the Pop Tarts Bowl to end the 2024 season left a sour taste in many Miami fans’ mouths. Luke Nickel was a big-time producer and winner at the high school level in Georgia. Dereon Coleman has impressive skills and a high upside.
But the question with Nickel and Coleman is whether they’ll be ready to take the reins in 2026. And of course, with Williams, is that ceiling there for this team to reach the heights it wants to next season?
It’s an unfortunate turn for the Hurricanes to miss out on Leavitt, but at this point in time, there are bigger fish to try for Cristobal and his staff, with the national championship game a week away.
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