Scouting Sam Leavitt: Why the Arizona State Quarterback Could Be a More Talented Brock Purdy

Summary

The McShay Show: Episode Summary Release Date: June 19, 2025

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Episode Title: Scouting Sam Leavitt: Why the Arizona State Quarterback Could Be a More Talented Brock Purdy

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Hosts: Todd McShay and Mitch

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Introduction to Sam Leavitt’s Rise (02:26 - 09:56)

In this episode, Todd McShay and Mitch delve into the impressive performance of Sam Leavitt, the quarterback from Arizona State University (ASU). Mitch opens the discussion by addressing the skepticism surrounding Leavitt’s success last season, emphasizing that it wasn’t mere luck but rather a combination of preparation meeting opportunity.

Mitch (02:26): "Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. And that's what happened for Leavitt last year."

Todd agrees, recalling their previous discussions on comparable quarterbacks and highlighting Leavitt’s significant role in leading ASU to the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff (CFP).

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Analyzing Leavitt’s Performance and Statistics (09:04 - 21:46)

The hosts break down Leavitt’s stats, noting his completion rate of 61.6% and impressive 24 touchdowns to six interceptions, achieving a commendable three-to-one ratio. They compare his body type and playing style to J.J. McCarthy, emphasizing Leavitt’s intermediate passing skills, play-action proficiency, and ability to make clutch plays under pressure.

Mitch (10:12): "It's not about luck. It's about preparation. And that's what he did."

McShay (09:56): "He screams winner to me. He wants to do whatever it takes to get his program where it needs to go."

The discussion also touches on Leavitt’s development throughout the season, particularly his improvement in decision-making and reduction in interceptions in the latter half.

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Technical Skills and Comparisons to Other Quarterbacks (21:46 - 28:26)

Todd and Mitch examine Leavitt’s technical prowess, focusing on his accuracy, arm strength, pocket mobility, and mental makeup. They highlight his ability to execute intermediate passes and his natural athleticism, which sets him apart from peers like Brock Purdy.

Mitch (16:15): "I think he has a little bit of a stronger arm than some of those guys."

McShay (18:00): "He has a great feel for it in the pocket."

The hosts compare Leavitt to Brock Purdy, suggesting that Leavitt could potentially surpass Purdy in talent, particularly in a pro-style offense under coaches like Mike Shanahan.

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Leadership and Competitiveness (28:26 - 35:33)

The conversation shifts to Leavitt’s leadership qualities and competitive nature. Despite facing challenges such as missing key players like Cam Scatterboo and Jordan Tyson, Leavitt demonstrated resilience and a strong desire to lead his team to victory. The hosts commend his ability to handle pressure and make decisive plays, even in high-stakes games against formidable opponents like Texas.

Mitch (29:14): "I freaking love this dude. I think he's got a chance to really elevate."

McShay (29:33): "He is not willing to just throw the ball away. He is going to try and extend, extend, extend."

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Game Highlights and Key Moments (35:33 - 33:10)

Highlighting specific games, such as the matchup against Texas, Todd and Mitch discuss Leavitt’s performance under pressure, including his sack management and decision-making in critical moments. They praise his ability to extend plays and maintain composure, although they note areas for improvement, such as reducing unnecessary sacks and refining his pocket presence.

McShay (27:37): "He does an excellent job of throwing to the corner of the end zone."

Mitch (28:26): "It's about taking that next step this year. And now he’s got to do it without Scaboo."

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Future Outlook and Potential NFL Impact (35:33 - 36:22)

In the concluding segments, Todd and Mitch express optimism about Leavitt’s future, envisioning him as a potential NFL starting quarterback with significant upside. They discuss his readiness for the next level, his fit within professional coaching systems, and the excitement surrounding his continued development.

Mitch (35:33): "I think Levitt is going to be an NFL starting quarterback and could be a pretty good one."

McShay (36:04): "I’m excited for… this is just another guy to talk about with this class."

They also tease upcoming episodes covering other top prospects, ensuring listeners stay tuned for more in-depth analysis.

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Supporting the Show and Upcoming Content

The hosts encourage listeners to support the show by subscribing on YouTube and Spotify, and to consider subscribing to The McShay Report for exclusive draft content. They hint at future topics, including analyses of running backs and defensive backs, as well as interactive segments like an NFL mailbag.

Mitch (06:37): "Go to YouTube, find the McShay show, hit the subscribe button."

McShay (36:21): "There’s a lot, lot to be excited about this summer."

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Notable Quotes:

• Mitch (02:26): "Luck is when opportunity meets preparation."
• McShay (09:56): "He screams winner to me."
• Mitch (16:15): "He has a little bit of a stronger arm than some of those guys."
• Mitch (35:33): "I think Levitt is going to be an NFL starting quarterback."
• McShay (36:04): "This is just another guy to talk about with this class."

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Conclusion:

This episode of The McShay Show provides a comprehensive analysis of Sam Leavitt’s capabilities as a quarterback, highlighting his technical skills, leadership qualities, and potential trajectory towards the NFL. Todd McShay and Mitch offer insightful comparisons and evaluations, making it a must-listen for fans interested in the future stars of American football.

Transcript

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[Mitch]

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[Mitch]

You know, some people are saying that Sam Levitt, the Arizona State quarterback, was lucky last year. He stepped into a great situation with Cam Scatter Boo, the running back, and he just rode his coattails all the way to the college football playoffs. But men, you know, I don't believe in luck. My number's 13. I'll walk under the ladder. I'll smash a mirror. I'll stare that black cat right in the eye as he tipped toes past me. Okay? Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. And that's what happened for Levitt last year. And I can't wait to break down his tape right now. 308 days until the NFL Draft meant you good?

[McShay]

I'm good, man.

[Mitch]

Roll it, Tuck. Just love it, guys. Talented, man. That's all you got for me?

[McShay]

Yeah, I was. I thought you're gonna go on another rant. I can't wait to talk about him. I have a comp that I can't get out of my head. Remember the. The Club Nick Baker Mayfield comp that we had that we just couldn't stop talking about?

[Mitch]

Yep. No, no, no, no, no.

[McShay]

Was it Nussmeier?

[Mitch]

Baker Mayfield? Yep.

[McShay]

Sorry. N. They're blending together now. Nussm. And, And Baker Mayfield. That, that, that comp was so obvious to us. I think there was an obvious comp for this guy.

[Mitch]

You've been on a wild ride with comps this summer. I can tell you're in a good mood. Things are going well in the, in the men family. You got, you got kids, graduating college, going off in the real world. You've been giving out Matthew Stafford, you've been giving out Joe Namath, Joe Montana's Tom Bray. You've been giving out some. Yeah, so I'm excited.

[McShay]

I thought John Mateer from, from Oklahoma. I almost said John Elway, but I knew it was going to put you over the edge.

[Mitch]

That's kind of the direction you've gone this summer.

[Sponsor]

Let's just get into it.

[Mitch]

Right? Let's get into it. Sam Leto, he's listed at 6, 2, 200. Did I get that wrong?

[McShay]

Nope, that's correct.

[Mitch]

He looks bigger than that, but a little thicker. Yeah, thicker than 200. Yeah. So he began his career, I, I, I think people, because everyone remember he won like freshman of the year last year. And in the Big 12, he won like, or, yeah, whatever it was, he won a bunch of awards. And all the talk in the College Football Playoff leading up to, and, and in that, that game against Texas was a freshman quarterback. Freshman quarterback. So I think people were surprised when there was like, mention as the 2025 NFL Draft wrapped up and people are starting to talk about prospects for next year. People are surprised. Like, what do you mean? Levitt was just a freshman. He's not, he is eligible. He began his career at Michigan State. Okay. Played in four games sparingly, 23 pass attempts. He went 15 for 23, wound up red shirting before he transferred to Arizona State, comes into asu, had had a fight on his hands. They didn't hand him the job. Okay. He beat out Jeff Sims, who's a talented quarterback, and, and then goes on to have the season he had. He led him to the Big 12 championship win, led him to the, led the Sun Devils, the College Football Playoff. I mean, he will get to the Arizona State, Texas game in the cfp, but, you know, he was an integral part of what had happened. And I thought he progressed significantly, especially after kind of a rocky start to the season. He finishes the year 112 record. He missed the Cincinnati game. I think it was an illness or he missed one game, was 112 in the 13 games he started, completed 61.6 of his passes, 2875, 2, 875 yards. And another guy like Matier for a lot of the running and some like the play for a lot of the playmaking ability at that position, really did a nice job of protecting the football. 24 touchdowns, six interceptions, three. Three to one ratio is like kind of the Mendoza line, if you will, to play on Mendoza from shows to go. And speaking of shows ago, you can go back and watch all of these. We've done, We've done Mendoza, we've done, we've done Kid clubnick, Lenora Sellers, we've done Drew Aller, Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, all of these shows. There's a whole series if you want to watch on YouTube, Spotify, any of the. Anywhere you get a podcast, including especially Apple as well. Go back and check those out. Men, while we're here, why don't you tell the folks how they can continue to support us? And the support has been unbelievable even in the summer months as we're kind of a dead period in, in college football and the NFL. Still, the support that we're getting, we're greatly appreciative of and we're going to need that continued support going in the year to try to build this thing in, in our first full season, our first full year on the NFL and college football calendar of, of the McShay show. So how, how can people help support us?

[McShay]

Mitch, go to YouTube, find the McShay show, hit the subscribe button, go to Spotify, hit the follow button. He's at McShay 13 on all socials, including threads, which apparently have to get into now. That's, that's another thing I have to do.

[Mitch]

Yeah, talk to Marissa. Talk to Marissa.

[McShay]

Yeah, I'm at you Good mensch, which is M U E N C H. And then please consider subscribing to the McShay report. It's good. Listen, if you're, if you want to be ready for the next year's draft, if you want to get ready, now is the time. Get in now, don't wait. Get in now. Because you want a baseline of where these guys were and you want to be able to say your friends, oh, McShay was talking about, you know, Lenor Sellers way back when. And I knew about this guy because I'm following, you know, I'm on the McShay Report. Just go ahead and get it now.

[Mitch]

The second half of our careers, I, I've talked to you about it and I know you're in agreement. It, it's, it's dedicated to. We're trying to create a. A smarter audience around stuff, especially the NFL draft, but even the NFL process, the college football game, evaluating talent and, and that's kind of my mission now. And I know, I know you share that with me. Let's just, let's get out ahead of stuff. Let's play NFL scouts, do it. Let's. Let's share the process so that there's. I guess I got to the point, you know, at espn, like, trying to climb the ladder, trying to get on that first night of the draft and then getting on the first night one on the. You know, be a part of all of it and ABC and like, and cl and better games. And I'm, I'm working with McDonough and, and, and Spielman and now and Levy and Greasy and like, always climbing. It's a competitive nature. And now it's like, all right, we're home. What we want to do, what's our mission? Our mission is to not have, not allow fans who love this game that we love, who, who put in a ton of time. You'd be shocked at how many people I talked to mention that, like, they're watching tape where they can get it. They were. They're do. Making their own boards, they're creating their own mock drafts, like, so if we're all going to do this together, let's just be smarter about it. Let's share all the 25 years of experience and let's create a smarter community, if you will, and let's kind of grow it from there. And that's what we're doing. So that's all part of this. Back to Levitt. So. So this year he puts up those big numbers and they have a great run. I was excited to get into his tape because I saw a lot of things.

[McShay]

Can we also just put this in perspective, too, that this Arizona State program had won three games the year before and looked like it was in a bad spot. And then they were. They were in trouble at the beginning of the year at Texas State, they won that game by a field goal. And if you're looking at where that Arizona State program was on September 12, coming off that Texas State win, you're. You're wondering where things are going. And for him to really take, you know, take that, the bull by the reins or whatever you'd say, the horse by the reins and take that program. Where he took it, I think speaks volumes about who he is in Terms of his competitiveness, in terms of, of his leadership. Do I do have a. I do have a note on that to bring up later on that I want to ask you about something. But in terms of being a leader and being a guy who wants to be a winner, this guy screams winner to me. He wants to do whatever it takes to get his program where it needs to go.

[Mitch]

Well, and that's why I opened this up because like just in doing some reading and different things like, you know, yeah, he's talented but man, he got lucky that he was dropped in an offense with, with Scatter Boo and Scatter Boo carried him and the play action set everything up. And it is like, it, like this.

[McShay]

Is my comp, man, I can't wait to drop this call.

[Mitch]

Get out of here with that stuff. It's not about luck. It's about preparation. And not. We're not talking about Nussmeier, five years of waiting around for his turn and all. But we are talking about a guy who Michigan State programs in array, gets an opportunity, takes the opportunity, got himself prepared for it, won a QB battle and now all of a sudden starts 13 games and goes 11 into. That's preparation meeting, opportunity. And I've kind of lived my life on that. Like, I don't believe in luck. I believe in like it's not always going to go your way just because you're prepared. You might not get the opportunity, might not all match up, but get your ass prepared so when you get that opportunity, you don't have any regret in life. Right. So that's what he did and I appreciate that. Let's play our game. Mental makeup, accuracy, release, slash, arm strength and pocket mobility. The four quarterback specific traits. We talk about it always. And I'm. And I'm still wearing my golf shirt from the other day. We're taping two shows on Monday. It's no secret when you see how we're dressed.

[McShay]

Really let them behind the curtain now.

[Mitch]

Yeah, whatever. I told everyone I'm going to be completely transparent in the show. Why wouldn't I? Yeah, we're all, we're all trying to utilize some time during the down, down time to be with our family and have a little break from it. So we're taping two shows on Mondays and we're doing all the work and then in the six days in between. But I mentioned golf because it's similar. Like our grading scale, our. We go through one one through five. One being excellent, two being above average, three being average, four being below average, and five Being marginal. Okay. And the lower the score, the better, if you will. So you're trying to keep your. Keep it below par here. And so we'll start. And this game has become. My favorite game is Mensch versus McShay. It's not even a versus. It's just comparing the grades that we have. And let's go through each of them. Accuracy. What do you got? One through five, men.

[McShay]

Two.

[Mitch]

I went 2.5. Okay, not far off. Release arm strength. We'll get back to it. I always want to make comments, but I'm going to shut up.

[McShay]

Wait, do we do mental makeup?

[Mitch]

Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. Mental makeup two. I am a two as well.

[McShay]

Okay, so now we're on.

[Mitch]

Medal makeup is two for both of us. Accuracy. 2.5. You had two?

[McShay]

Yep.

[Mitch]

Okay. Release arm strength.

[McShay]

2.5.

[Mitch]

Really?

[McShay]

What'd you go with?

[Mitch]

1.5.

[McShay]

Interesting.

[Mitch]

Okay, we'll get to that. Pocket mobility.

[McShay]

Two.

[Mitch]

I gave him a two as well.

[McShay]

I hate when we agree.

[Mitch]

So release. You gave him 2.5. Okay.

[McShay]

Yeah.

[Mitch]

All right, Match. As we've been doing with. With all these quarterbacks, once we settled in on a. On a format, you. You start things off. I don't have a comp yet. I don't have.

[McShay]

Here's my comp.

[Mitch]

Go ahead.

[McShay]

And he hasn't. He has not played a snap in the NFL. Another guy who was. Who said that was lucky he played on the right offense. Didn't get a lot of passing attempts his last year. JJ, that is JJ McCarthy. Man, I could not get it out of my head. Same kind of frame. JJ ended up being 219 at the combine, but he was listed around 200 at Michigan and was kind of a leaner guy.

[Mitch]

So.

[McShay]

Sim. I see similar frames. I think that Levitt's probably a little bit bigger and JJ was probably a little bit bigger than what he was listed. Similar frames. I love. The thing that really jumps out to me is their intermediate passes, the 10 to 19 yard passes, the timing, the touch when the ball gets out in rhythm. These guys, both of these. These quarterbacks are really good in that area, especially on. In breaking routes, throwing into windows. I also think that you can say whatever you want about Cam Scatter me when there's a lot of great stuff to say about what he did for that team. And you can say whatever you want about Blake Corum for Michigan two years ago. When these guys need to make plays to their team, both McCarthy and Levitt, they step up and make plays and they will get hit in the mouth. They will get cut in half. Levitt got cut in half in the BYU game trying to make a throw. They will make a throw when they need to. And I don't think either one of them. I think Levitt's probably a little bit better of an athlete and a little bit better of a runner. I don't think either of them is an elite athlete as a runner. But they will hurt you if you give them a chance to scramble or extend a play. They will find a way to make plays with their feet too, to, to extend a drive, to, to keep things going. Whatever, whatever it takes again to win. I couldn't get it out of my head. And then you add the, the ball skills, the way they move. Again, not elite athletes, but they move really well when they're getting out from under center, when they. All these things they, their ball skills on play action, the way they can get linebackers to come up and then exploit those windows that they've created for themselves. All of those things. To me, it's J.J. mcCarthy all over again. And I was super high on McCarthy coming out. I had him quarterback four behind Drake May, who was the quarterback three. That was just a great class. I think in a lot of classes McCarthy would have been higher. And you can look at it again. Levitt played two fewer games. But when you look at it, McCarthy had 332 passing attempts his last year and Levitt had 350 last year. I mean his. McCarthy's last year, which was 2023. Levit had in 2024, 18 more passing attempts. So you're looking at a similar body of work. Some of the passing concepts are different at Arizona State that they were at Michigan, but a lot of play action, a lot of, of a very run heavy offense in the way that it set up the passing game. And to me, man, this screams J.J. mcCarthy all over again.

[Mitch]

It's not. I like it actually. Yeah, I like it.

[McShay]

You should like it.

[Mitch]

I, I actually, I actually think he has a little bit of a stronger arm interesting Levitt than McCarthy, but I.

[McShay]

Think people were low on McCarthy's arm strength. I think he has a stronger on the people realized that's not a knock. And here's the other thing we talked, we've talked about this with some of the other evals and you got to be careful about it. Is watching Matier's arm strength, which is the, the quarterback we evaluated just before this. I think he has a stronger arm than Levitt. And whether or not that made me push Levitt's overall grade. His. The trait grade down a little bit. That's. That's a real possibility, and you got to be aware of that as an evaluator.

[Mitch]

It's hard sometimes, too, when you're. When you're evaluating a quarterback.

[McShay]

Like.

[Mitch]

There'S differences in energy on the ball. I think Levitt throws a heavier ball, and I don't mean that like, it's like, I. It's hard to describe what's in my brain sometimes. Yeah, but like, with. With Matiers, it's like, snap, you know?

[McShay]

Yeah.

[Mitch]

This is like, barrel. I guess it's the difference between, like, a Ferrari going fast and. And like an SUV barreling down at the same speed or whatever. You know what I mean? It just has a different energy about, like, you know, versus a kind of like, cutting through. Anyway, I. I think Levitt, I think we're just seeing the beginning with this guy. I think his future is really, really bright. I think a lot like Matier we talked about on Monday. Tough, competitive. I think. You know what I like about him? I just think he's a natural athlete.

[McShay]

I think he's a natural runner. I think he's a natural runner. I don't know. Yeah, I don't think. Again, I don't think he's an elite athlete, but he has an instinct as a runner. He can make guys miss every once in a while. I'm like, where did that come from? He'll shake a guy every once in a while. I'm like, where is that coordinated?

[Mitch]

You're not light on his. He's not at all. I don't want to oversell that, but he's like, kind of like that basketball athletic, like. And that's why, I don't know, it seemed like he was closer to 6:3 or something. Like, he just kind of looked a little longer than, like, 6:2. Guys are usually like, I don't know, but I felt like he was coordinated. He just had a good sense of his surroundings. He, like, he made that one move when he needed to. Extended plays. He extends a lot of plays, man.

[McShay]

Yeah, he has a great feel for it in the pocket. Yep.

[Mitch]

And he knows when to take off and run and some we'll get to the pocket stuff in a little bit. But, like, he just knows when to run, where to run, how to attack. Makes like. I. I forget. I think it was the Arizona game, maybe, like, he take. Tucks it runs, and he's the one guy in the. In the. In like a linebacker in. In space, and he just makes that one cut, like, it's not a lot of nonsense. Just like, you know, and goes.

[McShay]

Great feel as a runner.

[Mitch]

Great feel as a runner. Like, instinctively athletic is what I. I wanted to say. Like, coordinated. Instinctively athletic. He's just like one of those guys like, oh, he's. That guy's a ball. You see, he's the guy.

[McShay]

Play with this kid in high school. You play with this kid in high school who looks. He's not very. He doesn't impress you with the way he's built. And then you get him on. He may not run the fastest 40. He may not jump the highest vertical. And then you get him on a field and you're like, dude, where did that come from? Like, this kid is balls.

[Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Mitch]

He doesn't dress real sharp. Like, no, he doesn't have like a. He doesn't have like a. Like an aura about him when he walks in the room. He said. But like. But then you get him. I'm like, how that. Wait, him. Johnny's. That. Johnny scored 24 today. Johnny threw five touchdowns. Johnny had three home runs. Like, you know, like, they don't. Yeah. So in pads, like, he may be the best dressed son of a gun. You know, he might be Brad Pitt for all I know. He might be beautiful and buttoned up and all those. I'm just saying to draw your comparison. He's just it. He's so. He's just a guy who walks in and you don't. You're not like, oh, okay, we're in for a long day. But then he. He just carves you. More importantly, getting into this. I think he has fast eyes. I think he doesn't always know where to go with his eyes. I think he's still learning. I saw a lot of progress from, like, that Wyoming game to. To Kansas. Sorry, the Wyoming game. You could see this guy as a pup, you know, and there were some things. But then I wonder, like, Kansas game, a little bit more confident. Then you get down to, like, Arizona. And now he's like, now he's dealing. It's also worth noting with this guy. First four games, man, three touchdowns, two interceptions.

[McShay]

Yeah. I felt like UCF was a big turning point for him. I felt that game was a big turning point for him. The way he played at the end of that game.

[Mitch]

That was after Kansas.

[McShay]

That was his.

[Mitch]

Or Arizona, I think. Right?

[McShay]

Yeah. Now it's his team after that game.

[Mitch]

And he just kept getting better and then. And then down the stretch. Yeah, it was three touchdowns, two interceptions. First four games, then he threw 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions in the last nine. So you always want to see the.

[McShay]

Go ahead or two picks over the last seven games. I mean he. Yeah, he's starting to get it. You can see it on tape. You can see it in the numbers. He's starting to get it.

[Mitch]

I think he's at his best off play action. Oh which absolutely makes sense with, with Scatter Boo and that offense. But especially as I started charting these plays and going down, you know, red flagging all of them. He's deadly accurate on. In cutting routes, you know.

[McShay]

Yep, yep. The incoming route. Yep. They're breaking over the middle man breaking.

[Mitch]

Over the middle now. It's not as I'm not doing a deep dive like I did with Drew Aller and, and Aller guys running away from him versus incutting versus like Aller was a. Aller was like a mind like going through like what is actually going. You know what I mean? Like because he's so talented and all these things. But why is he struggling with these throws? Even like the, the flats in the flats and the dump offs when guys are running away from him versus like the harder throws like between windows in cutting and, and when guys on comebacks and different things. This one isn't as like complicated. This is just he. The incutting routes and what I liked about it is throwing between defenders, leading receivers open, knowing the right time to pull the trigger. Like he, he's really good in like intermediate stuff. I thought, I thought he's really good in intermediate stuff, especially good play action and especially like his best thing is come off the play play action and get his eyes around, throw to a spot that a receiver goes and off and running.

[McShay]

It almost looked like muscle memory to him. It was don't over, don't overthink it. I've got this look, I've got this route. I've got this matchup drill.

[Mitch]

This my whole life.

[McShay]

Yep. You know, you just, it's step one, step two, step three. We're not, we're not overthinking it. We're just going to continue to take what this, what this defense is giving me. And it's, it's. Honestly, some people might not think that's that fun to watch. For me, I love it. I just love seeing the rhythm that, that those kind of passers get into. So to me, I mean and when we talk about play action, he's all best off play action. I think some people might look at that like, well, he needs to get bigger windows and he needs a strong running game. I actually think it's a good sign.

[Mitch]

There's a heart to it. Yeah.

[McShay]

And I also think it's a good sign of him transitioning to a pro style offense. I think there's a lot of play action in pro football. Like, it's, it's a good trait to have.

[Mitch]

I think he's a more talented Brock Purdy.

[McShay]

Interesting. I don't hate that.

[Mitch]

And I think he would be awesome in the, the Shanahan tree.

[McShay]

I see that too.

[Mitch]

Kevin o' Connor, obviously. Shanahan, San Francisco. You know, whether It's a Mike McDaniel like, I, I think but, but he has a bigger arm than some of those guys. He's a bigger arm than Purdy. He's more mobile than Purdy. I'm not like, let's see, after a couple years, I don't know whether it's going to be after this year or after 2026 for the 27 draft, whatever it is.

[McShay]

Yeah, he doesn't turn 21 till December, by the way. He's going to be 20 for most of the season.

[Mitch]

So we're doing this report like knowing full well that it's probably going to be for 2027 and that's fine too. It's also just getting prepared for college football season. It's coming off of an awesome year he had last year. It's a guy that's kind of a household name that we wanted to get to, but. But he's got a lot of upside. I, I think, I think I like his accuracy. Throwing on the move. Right. Does a nice job of getting his hips around. It's like, it's so. It was such a departure from, from Matier and I told you, like, you know, back to the line of scrimmage, arm out like that. Like that was so wild that it was good to see like he's a. I don't know who coached him in high school. I don't know like what, what coaching he got at Michigan State before coming to Arizona State. But while young and still developing and has to drill home some of the, you know, the, the footwork and especially the deep ball stuff. I saw a guy that's pretty mechanic. Like even when rolling out to his left, getting his hips back around. You know what I mean? Like it's been somewhere in his history. And this is why we do it in June. Now we can go back and we can read a little bit more. I'm going down to the, the Manning passing academy, which was kind of all came about last minute. You're going to come down in future years, but I just. I'm going to swing down there for a couple days, but I'm just excited. Like I want to get to know more behind the scenes than some of these guys in the history. And what I'm really curious to see. Excuse me. What his training has been because I see some mechanical, like some fundamental things that I really like. His deep ball though, is interesting. He can do it. He threw a. There's a beautiful ball. 159. Third quarter Kansas game. No, that's the incutting route. Oh, it was 11:53 earlier in the Kansas game. I knew it was Kansas. Beautiful ball early in the game. Few minutes into the F. First quarter. Perfect, perfect trajectory down the right rail right on time. It was like from the 35 or something going in the end zone and not like one thing to get it there and they go up like dropped it over the DB's head with late energy on the ball. Whereas the outside shoulder. It's like exactly where you. And you talk about dropping in the bucket. Put the bucket in the back corner of the end zone and try to drop the ball in. He did it from like the 35. It wasn't from the 10. But like to drop it in with that energy in the right tr. It wasn't like a high aring ball. It was like on the right line and right at the end. Beautiful. But there were a lot other. Lot of other examples of him overshooting a couple.

[McShay]

Undershooting, throwing guys out of bounds every once in a while.

[Mitch]

Yep, yep, yep, yep. So I saw all those things and.

[McShay]

He does an excellent. He does an excellent job of throwing to the corner of the end zone. I think he's. That's something that he excels at when you get him in the red zone and he's got a. You know, you're wanting to run those. Those rub routes, pick routes depending on which side of the ball you're on.

[Mitch]

Yeah.

[McShay]

And you want to hit the. Hit the guy right in the corner of the end zone on the run. That's something that he's. That's a. That's a great trait to have again. And that's something that he excels at.

[Mitch]

When he misses on intermediate stuff or, you know, 10, 10 to 30 yards. Like when guys are facing him, he tends to miss high. It's correctable. But he. There's a lot of. A lot of throws. Even catches where it's outside the strike zone. Did I. I just Felt like he's missing high. So it's deep ball accuracy more consistent with that. It's the missing high aspect where he can improve. Okay. And it's just playing more games, like, more game experience and doing it this year without Scatter Boo.

[McShay]

Are you worried about the sacks? I think he takes some sacks that he doesn't need to take. I think there's this time, and this is the. You take the good with the bad. Right. He's so competitive that I think that he is not willing to just throw the ball away. He is going to try and extend, extend, extend, extend. And it ends up him taking 7, 8 yard losses where he's just got to get rid of the ball. Learn to, you know, learn to live to fight another day, whatever it is. There were times where it's like, just get rid of it, man. It's over. I know, I know. I've seen you make plays on plays like this before, but this one's over. You just got to get rid of the ball, throw it out of bounds and move on.

[Mitch]

I don't disagree. Yeah.

[McShay]

Here's the other thing. Tell me if I'm an old, angry scout, because this is the thing. It's not a big deal. I'm not saying it's a big deal, but a minor thing that I'd like to see him clean up a little.

[Mitch]

Bit is I love stuff like this. Whenever you preface something, I'm tiptoeing. Enjoy it.

[McShay]

Yeah, I'm tiptoeing because I know I'm gonna get in trouble with some people, but the body language at times has to be a little bit better. The throwing the hands up, the, you know, throwing the hands on the iPads and it's, you know, don't.

[Mitch]

Don't show, like 14 years old.

[McShay]

Totally agree. And he's also, again, you take the good with the bad. I'd rather that guy who's going to be competitive as hell. Then the guy was like, oh, well, just get him next time. You know what I mean? But I think there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. And I think when you're so. Yeah, I mean, let's see some making a mountain out of it.

[Mitch]

Yeah. Don't.

[McShay]

Mitch hates Levitt because he can't control his emotions. That's not what I'm saying.

[Mitch]

It's kind of a fiery bunch there in Arizona State from the. Oh, my God, the running backs of Lunatic last year.

[McShay]

They got after each other. I felt like a couple times I didn't see it. On tape. But I saw it during the year during, like, some of the TV production. It was.

[Mitch]

They.

[McShay]

They didn't. Yeah, there was no holding punches there.

[Mitch]

It's kind of. Yeah, there's. It is not a. It's not for the, like, faint of heart playing for the state, which is. Which can be a great thing as long as it doesn't become a detractor, you know.

[McShay]

Talk to me about Texas. Talk to me about Texas. What do you think about the Texas game? Ups and downs, gritty, didn't have his best receiver. Jordan Tyson wasn't there, which we should.

[Mitch]

Have mentioned earlier in this. That. That. Right. And when you say best receiver, that's like taking Jordan Jefferson off of Minnesota. That's like. You know what I mean?

[McShay]

Like, especially because of what Tyson does in there. He's a lot of, like, quick, quick game. He can take the top off the coverage, but he does everything. He's an extension of the running game. There's so many things that. That Jordan Tyson does for them that opens up their entire offense. And you're going to look at that and you're going to see the interception in overtime and you're going to see that the numbers weren't great. I thought he was really gutsy. I think Scatter was obviously the story of that game, but Levitt was gutsy in that game. He made some plays with his feet, just, you know, trying to find a way.

[Mitch]

They were.

[McShay]

Listen, as a. They just were the, The. They were not nearly as talented as that deep Texas team. And the fact that they took him to two overtimes, I think he made a lot of plays where he's just gutting it out. And there were some mistakes. He could have been more consistent, all of that stuff. But I don't walk away from that performance being like, ah, well, you know, as soon as they played a real team, this kid couldn't hang.

[Mitch]

No, and the thing about football is when you play a. It's not like NBA. It's not like. It's not like baseball. It's not like basketball. It's not like we got a pitcher and a batter. We got. We got a. We got five on five. But there's a lot of isos. It's not like that. When you're a quarterback playing in the game of football, like, if you can't protect and you. You're only a receiver that can actually line up with those Texas DBs and create a problem and maybe. Maybe draw a safety over and all that isn't in the lineup. It's it's tough, sudden, man. And that front four for Texas every year and especially last year is brutal. You got, you got Sorel, you got the big guy with 95 got drafted. You got, you got two. No, they have brought Broughton Collins and Broughton Collins, Sorel. Oh, and the freshman.

[McShay]

Yeah, we're missing the best player. I can't think of his name right now.

[Mitch]

Yeah, Williams, right? Or.

[McShay]

How we not Anthony Hill. Oh, there's Anthony Hill. Colin Simmons. Colin Simmons, like, but Anthony Hill too, man.

[Mitch]

Yeah. So my point is like, they, they're not protected all of it, but yes, I, I saw the things you saw. I did see the grit. I did see the competitiveness. They. They were in a hatchet fight with a butter knife.

[McShay]

Yeah.

[Mitch]

As my old baseball coach you said used to say, like, show up to a hatchet fight with a hatchet. Well, they, they just didn't have a hatchet at their disposal. Right. So. But a lot of, like, a lot of positive things to take from this season. I, I am like, to sum it up for me, the talent is there. There's enough good athleticism and pocket mobility there. I want to see him. Sometimes the eyes are dropping. Sometimes he's a little bit like. Like if the first thing isn't there, it's. It's kind of like let's run to then pick the eyes back up and look, I don't want to oversell, but there's just a little bit that of that quarterback immaturity and I talked about all the. Like, I do think he's been drilled well. I do think he has good mechanics. I think he's got a foundation to. To build on now. It's about taking that next step this year. And now he's got to do it without Scaboo. I ain't calling it luck last year. Everyone can go bleep themselves, go make love to themselves about the luck last year because he was every bit a part of everything that happened last year. But it. But now he does have to do it without scout Scoo. And now defenses are going to be focused on him. And we always talk about phases of quarterback. The first year is putting it on tape, being the starter, handling, handling all those pressures. Now the second year is. What was my line that you hated? Because it was actually good. It was rinse, repeat and refine. Rinse, repeat, refine, rinse, repeat. So now he's in the rinse, repeat, repeat. So like wash everything away that we had last year, repeat it, repeat all your process and get. But then now we Got to refine it because you get defensive coordinators that have seen you once. There's a whole year of tape, even if they didn't play you one on one. So, like, this is a big year for him, and now you don't have that star running back in your backfield. So I'm excited. I'm excited to see Matier we talked about on Monday in Oklahoma. This guy's not going anywhere. I'm excited to see because it almost feels like a whole new team. It's his team now. Everyone knows who he is, what he does, what his tendencies are. So how does he counter that with the way he. With what he's. What he's done in this off season and the way he comes out and plays, because he got that much better from that Wyoming game and even the Kansas game to what we saw down, you know, in the second half of the year. So. So now it's on him to make that next step.

[McShay]

And I.

[Mitch]

But I. I freaking love this dude. I'm telling you. I think he's got a chance. I think he's got a chance to really elevate. I love his grit. I love his competitiveness. I love how instinctive he is. I love his athleticism. I like. I like his arm better than you, all those things. I think Levitt is going to be a. An NFL starting quarterback and could be a pretty good one, and I'd love to see him in a Shanahan tree, but we'll see. Like, that's. That's for. Way down the road.

[McShay]

Agree on all of it, man. I'm excited for. I mean, it's just another guy to talk about with this class.

[Mitch]

Yeah, it is a loaded class. This is fun. All right. But next week. Next week we're back. We're gonna. We're gonna change it up. I think this is it for the quarterbacks. We're gonna go Caleb Downs. Next week, we're go Jeremiah Love and some of the other top running backs. We'll get some other top DBs. Clemson fans, hang around.

[McShay]

Let's go.

[Mitch]

We're getting. We're. This is Mench's team this year. We're getting to Clemson. Like, scouts are just right. If you're a southeast scout and you get Clemson in your area, this is, like, the best group they've had in about a decade of talent. They used to have, like. It used to be, like, up there with the Georgias and Alabamas and the, you know, old days of the, like, USCs and so, like, Ohio State. So this is going to be a fascinating year for Clemson and we're going to cover all that. We're gonna have an NFL mailbag coming up. There's a lot, lot to be excited about this summer as we're trying to strike the purpose perfect balance between grinding it out and enjoying life a little bit before it gets crazy in August. We appreciate you, we love you for being here. Thanks for joining us in this ride and and we'll see you next week. Later. Must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 + and present in D.C. gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit MD gambling help.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit Gambling Helpline ma.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text Hope NY in New York.