The Pittsburgh Steelers spent plenty of time in 2025 checking out Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt. It appears they’ll have plenty of time in 2026 to watch him again. Yesterday, the Sun Devils announced Leavitt is out for the season with a foot injury, and he seems poised to return to school next season instead of entering the NFL Draft.

“Star quarterback Sam Leavitt out for the season,” said college football insider Pete Thamel on College Gameday Saturday morning. “He’s set to have foot surgery next week. Leavitt is probably going to return this spring; he’ll likely be back in college football.”

Leavitt had been enjoying a solid, though unspectacular, season, throwing for 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions to lead Arizona State to a 5-3 start. Leavitt’s buzz began last season, turning the Sun Devils from afterthought into the college football playoffs with an 11-3 season, Big 12 Championship, and a double overtime heartbreaking loss to Texas.

His play caught Pittsburgh’s attention. Though scouts conduct due diligence across the board, the Steelers were seemingly making weekly stops to Arizona State. We noted it on multiple occasions. On August 4th, on August 31st, on September 27th, and probably other instances that simply weren’t reported.

In Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest rankings, he placed Leavitt eighth. Now, it seems like Leavitt will only apply to next year’s list ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft.

As evaluators have noted, the 2026 draft class hasn’t had the sizzle some thought it would. The group may be better than 2025’s poor crop, but there’s yet to be a standout name or collection of high-end talent who feel like first-rounders.

As usual, there have been surprises. Oregon’s Dante Moore, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson weren’t regarded as the top names entering the season, but have gained the most momentum since the year began.

Pittsburgh is expected to do plenty of pre-draft homework on the position. Even if Aaron Rodgers returns for an encore performance, the Steelers still lack a long-term option. But it appears the Steelers will do so without Leavitt being on their board, who will focus on his health instead of his draft stock the next six months.