TEMPE, Ariz. – Jake Plummer saw Sam Leavitt for the first time in the spring. Arizona State’s offense hasn’t had a good practice. The coaching staff consisted of rotating quarterbacks. Leavitt, a transfer from Michigan State who had not yet won the starting job, took over late in the session.

“I knew nothing about this kid, where he came from or how he was recruited, but it was different,” Plummer said this week. “The crime has responded. He threw a touchdown pass, ran down and celebrated. And it was like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen this passion or energy in this position in years.'”

It felt familiar.

“When I played, I didn’t have a switch that I turned on in the game,” said Plummer, one of the greatest quarterbacks in Arizona State history. “My switch, whether in training or in a game, it was always on. When I saw that (from Leavitt), it gave me a little bit of hope, like, ‘Oh, wow.’ This kid, we might have something there.'”

Entering this season, Arizona State had seen 10 quarterbacks since 1970 lead the Sun Devils to 10 wins. The list: Taylor Kelly and Mike Bercovici (2014); Kelly (2013); Rudy Carpenter (2007); Plummer (1996); Jeff Van Raaphorst (1986); Todd Hons (1982); Fred Mortensen and Dennis Sproul (1975); Danny White (1971-73); and Joe Spagnola (1970).

This is not an easy task. It took Plummer four years. As a freshman, he became QB1 and led Arizona State to six wins. The Sun Devils then won three and six games before bowing out in 1996, winning 11 in a row before losing to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Nevertheless, Leavitt joined the club in his first season and established himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in college football. In 11 games, the 1.80 meter tall, 90 kilogram redshirt freshman played with confidence and consistency and beat his opponents with his arms and legs. On Saturday, he will lead the No. 15 Sun Devils (10-2) into the Big 12 championship game against No. 16 Iowa State, a game with College Football Playoff implications.

“He’s just a leader,” Plummer said. “He plays with his heart. He plays with passion. And if you fully utilize your signal caller and fight, compete and work as hard as you can, it’s easy for the rest of the team to reach that standard.”

The quarterbacks at Plummer and Arizona State, each with 10 wins, have watched Leavitt closely all season. They see a quarterback who is improving every week, whose personality is a perfect fit for the head coach. They recently shared their thoughts The athlete.

“It’s very authentic”

Mike Bercovici is Arizona State’s poster boy for football loyalty. In 2012, he lost the starting QB job to Taylor Kelly. Instead of switching, Bercovici waited. After Kelly broke a bone in his right foot in 2014, Bercovici got his chance.

He delivered. On October 4, Bercovici provided one of the greatest moments in school history: a Hail Mary pass that Jaelen Strong caught to defeat USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Sun Devils finished 10-3, falling just one game short of winning the Pac-12’s South Division.

These days, Bercovici watches Arizona State with his wife from their home in North Carolina. Bercovici didn’t even know at first that Leavitt was a redshirt freshman, that’s how even-tempered the quarterback was. What stood out most, however, was the bond Leavitt fostered with the coaching staff, particularly head coach Kenny Dillingham. Bercovici noted how they celebrated victories together and how they chatted in post-game press conferences.

“(That bond) was important to me when I was playing, but now that I’m on the coaching side, that’s it the most “It’s important what’s there,” said Bercovici, an offensive assistant with the Carolina Panthers. “When you start connecting with the person and the man and not just the player, I think you can really unlock a person’s full potential and that’s what I see too. They support each other regardless of the outcome. And it just seems very authentic to me.”

“Man, it didn’t take long.”

Danny White cannot comment on the bonds between coach and player. He’s never experienced that before. Not during his college days under Arizona State University coach Frank Kush. Not during his professional years under Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry.

“Coach Landry, after 13 years, I think he knew my name,” White said. “That was always kind of a barrier, especially with the coaches I had. … Landry and Kush, they weren’t really approachable guys that really hung out with the players.”

White is honest: Before Arizona State announced Leavitt as QB1 in August, he pitched the idea of ​​starting senior Trenton Bourguet or Nebraska transfer Jeff Sims to Dillingham, just to give Leavitt time to observe and learn. Leavitt hadn’t been an obvious choice for him. But as the season began, White realized he was wrong. “Man, it didn’t take long,” he said.

White noticed how much Leavitt was preparing. He said the quarterback is the guy who is at the facility on Sundays at 4 p.m. watching film from the last game because he can’t wait to move on to the next game. “There just aren’t many people that dedicated,” White said.

Jeff Van Raaphorst has seen it pay off. In 1986, he was quarterback of one of the best teams in school history, one that finished 10-1-1 and defeated Jim Harbaugh and Michigan in the Rose Bowl. These days, Van Raaphorst works as an Arizona State radio analyst. He’s seen dozens of quarterbacks. He calls Leavitt’s week-to-week improvement “monumental.”

“Both physically and as a leader,” Van Raaphorst said. “His ability to make the right decision, whether it be a throw or trying to take off and run and try to get a first down, is super impressive.”

“Whatever it takes”

Rudy Carpenter’s 2007 team somewhat mirrors the Arizona State team. As with this season’s team, no one expected much from the Carpenter’s Sun Devils, who were unranked at the start of the season. Then, under new coach Dennis Erickson, they went out and won their first eight and climbed to No. 6 in the AP poll. They finished 10-3.

Carpenter said Leavitt can make all the throws. He can complete dink-and-dunk passes or make explosive plays downfield. He pointed to Leavitt’s strong ball security, 21 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. He overheard Dillingham telling reporters that Leavitt would one day play in the NFL. Carpenter sees similar potential. Leavitt has the size, weight, size, feet, arm talent, toughness and athletic ability to reach that level, he said.

But Carpenter wants to see more. How will Leavitt respond next season when defenses have more information? When there is more evidence for the coordinators to see what works against him and what doesn’t? What happens when a top receiver turns pro? What if the offensive line isn’t that solid?

“I just want to see it over more than just one year, but when you talk about the physical ability and maybe the mental makeup, you’re looking at a guy whose father played elite football (at BYU). “His brother has played football at a high level (six NFL seasons), he’s familiar with it, he understands it,” Carpenter said. “The lights probably aren’t too bright for him. These are all really, really positive things.”

If any quarterback with 10 wins can identify with Leavitt, it’s probably Todd Hons. In 1981, Hons transferred to Arizona State from El Camino College in California. Like Leavitt, he redshirted his freshman season and watched Mike Pagel lead the Sun Devils to a 9-2 season. The next year, Hons started as QB2, but got his chance when starter Sandy Osiecki injured his knee. He never looked back.

Hons calls Leavitt a player. He doesn’t care about the quarterback’s stats. He likes Leavitt’s attitude. He likes his approach. He likes how he always reaches out of his pocket and runs at exactly the right moment. He sees the Sun Devils following Leavitt’s lead.

Ten wins? Why stop here?

“Hopefully he’ll be the first quarterback to win 13 games,” Hons said. “Whatever it takes to get (a championship).”

(Top photo of Sam Leavitt celebrating with his teammates after Arizona State’s win over Arizona last week to secure its spot in the Big 12 Championship Game: Kelsey Grant / Getty Images)