If Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel had listened to one section of Vols fans, the program would have spent $6 million (or more) on Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt this past winter. 

And for what? 

To be the quarterback of a team that may or may not have a real shot to reach the College Football Playoff this fall — only for Leavitt to leave after one season — which would delay Tennessee’s quarterback battle between George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon until next spring?

Instead, Heupel played the long game. Either MacIntyre or Brandon will emerge as the best option in 2026, and that quarterback will lead a 2027 Tennessee team that can truly compete for a championship.

Josh Heupel flirted with Sam Leavitt, but the price was too steep

There’s no question that a significant portion of the fanbase wanted Leavitt because they didn’t want to start a young quarterback in 2026, and that’s understandable.

But Tennessee was never going to spend absurd money on Leavitt.

“Financially, I don’t know if they were all in or not (on Leavitt),” said VolQuest’s Austin Price on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will in January. “But I think, ultimately, they made a strong enough push at the end that it just boiled down to they were only going to go so high. And LSU was willing to just continue to go (higher on price).”

Heupel’s decision to pass on the transfer quarterback ended up saving Tennessee around $6 million. More than that, it saved the program from paying for a quarterback who is probably not worth that kind of money.

Some of the scouting reports on Leavitt suggest he’s nowhere close to the $6 million price tag. 

Several anonymous opposing defensive coordinators spoke to ESPN this week about Power 4 quarterbacks, and one of them mentioned that Leavitt is a solid passer but misses the throws you would expect a high-level quarterback to make. 

Another defensive coordinator from the SEC pointed out that Leavitt is not the talent level you normally expect an LSU quarterback to be. That coordinator even said he would rather play against Leavitt than former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

“He’s not the talent level that a normal LSU quarterback would be,” said the SEC defensive coordinator. “If they [have success], it’s going to be because they got him going in the system. He doesn’t freak you out when you watch him, but he is dangerous at times. I would rather play him than Diego Pavia.”

Does that sound like the kind of quarterback worth $6 million?

Heupel saved the program a significant amount of money, and he put the Vols in a better position for 2027 because of the experience MacIntyre and Brandon will gain this fall. And I think that’s the part of this that gets lost in the conversation – the 2026 season isn’t Tennessee’s championship window. The 2027 season is. 

Leavitt may end up having a good year at LSU under Lane Kiffin. He may have a better year than either one of Tennessee’s young quarterbacks. But Tennessee is going to be better off in 2027, the first year the Vols can truly compete for a championship, than they would have been if they had signed Leavitt for $6 million earlier this winter.

Vols fans should thank Lane Kiffin for driving up the price on Leavitt and showing up uninvited in Knoxville to kidnap woo the Arizona State transfer. Tennessee is a better team longterm because of it.