There’s one important concern that Tennessee will have to deal with if the Vols land Arizona State transfer QB Sam Leavitt
The Tennessee Vols are hosting Arizona State transfer QB Sam Leavitt on a visit this week.
The Tennessee Vols are currently hosting Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt on a visit. Leavitt, who has also visited LSU and Kentucky, is arguably the top transfer quarterback still available.
According to a report from VolQuest, Leavitt’s visit to Tennessee was scheduled to end on Thursday, but he’s extended his trip until Friday.
Tennessee appears to be a serious contender for Leavitt, but the Oregon Ducks loom as a threat.
The big concern that Tennessee fans have about Sam Leavitt
Leavitt is a dynamic player who has College Football Playoff experience.
But he’s also coming off a season-ending injury.
According to a report from 247Sports in November, Leavitt underwent Lisfranc surgery (in early November), which could sideline him for up to six months.
“Arizona State sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt is unlikely to be cleared for unrestricted football activities for at least six months following Wednesday’s surgery to repair the Lisfranc ligament and improve stability in his right foot, people informed of his prognosis told Sun Devil Source,” wrote 247Sports’ Chris Karpman in November. “The best-case scenario for Leavitt would be to resume limited non-contact activities in about five or six months, with full clearance coming after some additional weeks or months.”
On3’s Pete Nakos’ latest update on Leavitt’s health this week suggests a similar timeline for the quarterback’s recovery.
“Here’s what I can factually say, is that every school that’s bringing him in on a visit is doing a medical evaluation to understand what his timeline looks like for recovery,” said Nakos on Wednesday. “He obviously missed the back half of the season. I can factually say this — it is unclear if he’d be available for spring football.”
On3’s Jake Crain added that a source told him there’s “really not a good shot that he would play in the spring.”
I don’t think this is (or should be) a dealbreaker for Tennessee, depending on how comfortable they feel after evaluating Leavitt in person. But it’s still notable that Leavitt likely won’t take any reps during spring practice. Now, being in meetings and learning the offense would still be beneficial for Leavitt. But while visualization and mental reps can be beneficial for athletes, there’s no substitute for live reps.
The silver lining, though, would be that rising redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and rising true freshman Faizon Brandon would receive all the first- and second-team reps during spring practice, which would be big for their continued development.
Of course, for any of that to come into play, the Vols have to first land a commitment from Leavitt. We’ll see if they can close the deal.