CFB HQ is counting down the most important players of the upcoming 2026 college football season. As a bit of housekeeping before we begin, there are some guidelines for this list. First, we are including 10 defensive players and only 6 quarterbacks in the top 25. It's a team sport after all. While signal-callers are critical to any program, they shouldn't be overrepresented, and all positions on the field deserve some recognition. With those parameters out of the way, let's kick off the list with No. 25! We'll be revealing more players from this list in the coming days. No. 25: Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU TigersQuarterback Sam Leavitt was the No. 2-ranked quarterback in ESPN's transfer rankings when Arizona State's four-time starter became available in early January, but his path to Lane Kiffin and LSU was far less linear than his credentials suggested.Behind-the-scenes reviews from the Arizona State staff were mixed, and teams harbored concerns about Leavitt's health following a Lisfranc injury, particularly given the expected investment required to pry him loose. Most programs ranked him second or third on their quarterback boards.But once Demond Williams Jr. failed to escape his Washington contract and Brendan Sorsby committed elsewhere, Kiffin zeroed in on the Sun Devils' transfer. The LSU coach flew to Knoxville to reconnect with Leavitt during a visit to Tennessee, attempting to re-engage after the Williams development had cooled the relationship.The gambit worked: Leavitt chose LSU over Miami in mid-January, and, in doing so, he became the centerpiece of the nation's top-ranked transfer class according to 247Sports.The Arizona State transfer who built a Big 12 championLeavitt made an immediate impact at Arizona State after arriving in 2024, leading the Sun Devils to a 16-4 record, including an 11-2 mark as a starter and a College Football Playoff berth. The redshirt junior was the ideal portal target for Kiffin's high-octane offense, a quarterback who combined accuracy, mobility and poise under pressure.In 20 starts for Arizona State, he threw for 4,513 yards and 34 touchdowns with just nine interceptions while also rushing for 816 yards and 10 scores. He led the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record in Big 12 play, a conference championship and a playoff matchup against Texas in 2024.Former Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIn 24 career games across Michigan State and Arizona State, he completed 376 of 612 passes for a 61.4 percent completion percentage while recording 4,652 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. But that production masked durability questions. A Lisfranc injury in September sidelined him for the final five games of the 2025 season, and he appeared in only seven games in 2025 with 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.Leavitt's path from sideline to under centerLeavitt's transfer was never going to be seamless because he spent much of LSU's spring practice on the sidelines, unable to run, throw or plant due to his surgically repaired foot, learning the intricacies of Kiffin's system by observation alone.Kiffin acknowledged that Leavitt was "taking it very seriously," spending considerable time studying the system, which "is a lot to learn" and "not easy" when unable to participate actively. Redshirt freshmen Husan Longstreet and redshirt sophomore Landen Clark absorbed the majority of team reps, each making significant strides as spring progressed.LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at the South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectLeavitt's window for on-field development was minuscule. He participated in 7-on-7 drills during LSU's final closed spring scrimmage and took about eight snaps on Saturday in Tiger Stadium, which doubled as some of the most significant on-field activity he'd completed since his November foot surgery. His first throw in that final 7-on-7 work went for a long touchdown.What Leavitt must deliver at LSUFor all of Leavitt's Big 12 pedigree and playoff experience, his introduction to the SEC arrives with a hard deadline. Kiffin was explicit about his vision when he arrived: a return to the kind of feared LSU program that intimidated opponents from kickoff.The coach said his expectation is for the Tigers to play "really smart, physical football" and expressed his desire for opponents to "fear LSU the way that I had to fear LSU, like when I was at Alabama." That burden falls squarely on Leavitt's shoulders.Joel Klatt ranked Leavitt among the top 10 quarterbacks for the 2026 season, though he acknowledged questions remain coming off Leavitt's injury. Former Colorado Buffaloes offensive lineman Jordan Seaton (77) is another important transfer addition to the LSU Tigers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe quarterback's health heading into fall camp is non-negotiable. In June, Kiffin provided an update indicating Leavitt was operating "pretty much full strength now," clearing the way for the Tigers' playoff push.Leavitt's performance this year will determine whether LSU's portal investment and Kiffin's elaborate system redesign translate into contention. He has the weapons, like the offensive line, which features No. 4 overall transfer Jordan Seaton from Colorado. Nine new wide receivers arrived in the portal, anchored by transfers Winston Watkins, Jayce Brown and Eugene Wilson III.The Tigers have to hit the ground running in 2026. Baton Rouge doesn't reward moral victories or partial contributions. It demands titles.LSU begins the season at home against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The two programs have already met five times, with LSU leading the series 4-1 and the winning last two matchups which includes a 17-10 win a year ago and a 42-25 victory over Clemson in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow