'Injury sidelines QB Sam Leavitt, Jeff Sims to take over as starter for Arizona State against Cincinnati'
Arizona State's starting quarterback, Sam Leavitt, will not be playing in their upcoming away game against Cincinnati due to injured ribs, according to coach Kenny Dillingham's announcement on Wednesday.
Jeff Sims will take over as the starting quarterback for Arizona State against the Bearcats.
Leavitt sustained his rib injury during the second quarter of last Friday's 27-19 win against Utah, but he was able to return to the game shortly after and finish it out.
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Dillingham stated that Leavitt could potentially miss multiple games. The Sun Devils, who currently hold a record of 5-1 and are 2-1 in the Big 12, will have a bye week after their game against Cincinnati.
"The timeline for Leavitt's return is uncertain," said the Arizona State coach. "It could be two weeks, it could be four weeks. Hopefully, he will recover sooner rather than later. We will assess the situation after this week and during the first half of the bye week."
Sims, who has previously started 23 games for Georgia Tech and two games for Nebraska, transferred to Arizona State after last season. He was beaten out by Leavitt for the starting position during fall camp.
"We brought Sims in to compete for the starting position," Dillingham explained. "Sam is a talented player and he won the competition, but Sims had a good camp as well. Now, Sims, who has a lot of starting experience, will have the opportunity to start again. To me, there is not much drama surrounding this decision."
In his career, Sims has thrown for 4,759 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions in 32 games (25 starts) for Georgia Tech (2020-2022), Nebraska (2023), and Arizona State. He has completed 1 of 2 passes for 13 yards in two appearances this season and also rushed for a touchdown against Utah when Leavitt briefly left the game.
Leavitt, a transfer from Michigan State, has thrown for 1,166 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions in six games this season.
