The Miami Hurricanes are hosting former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt after beating the Ole Miss Rebels in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, moving on to the National Championship game.
Miami currently has Carson Beck under center, though he is out of elegbility after this season, leaving the program scouring for an alternative.
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Head coach Mario Cristobal has tended to favor experienced quarterbacks who can contribute immediately and help the team compete, rather than developmental players with high potential.
Leavitt has College Football Playoff experience and carries the pedigree that Miami tends to look for in a quarterback.
The Canes have spared no expense at the position over the last two years, and they are set to make a good deal of money in the playoffs, giving them the ability to pay for a premium player like Leavitt.
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Leavitt has taken visits to Kentucky, LSU, and Tennessee, with Miami now in the fold and the Oregon Ducks looming as a potential landing spot, the star quarterback will have no shortage of options.
Due to all of the suitors lining up for him, VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs — a Tennessee insider — believes that it will take time before Leavitt makes his choice, no matter where he lands.
“He also knows he holds the cards, right? He’s a leverage guy. When you look at what’s left in the portal in terms of big-name guys, [and then the programs] that are needing a quarterback, I mean, he’s got leverage. So why would you emotionally make a decision,” Hubbs said on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will.
“If you’ve got potentially Miami, Oregon, potentially Tennessee, LSU still needs a quarterback…if you’ve got those four suitors, you’ve got all the leverage in the world.
“You don’t have to be in a hurry to do anything. You can make as methodical of a decision as you want, and you can negotiate and leverage, because you’ve got all of the leveraging power right now as a quarterback in the portal. So I don’t think it would be in his best interest at all to make an emotional decision.”
However, with Miami flexing its current playoff success, it could be the team best poised to woo Leavitt.
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