Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who dazzled in his first season with the Sun Devils and projects as a potential first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft, gave back to the community after his splendid debut in Tempe. Leavitt made a $15,000 personal donation to the Pat Tillman Foundation, which supports military service members and their families in honor of the former Arizona State and Arizona Cardinals safety who died by friendly fire in the War in Afghanistan.
The Pat Tillman Foundation awards academic scholarships, paves the way to leadership opportunities and fosters a community for active duty service members, veterans and their families. Each year, it selects up to 60 recipients from a pool of thousands of applicants. The foundation invested $37 million to date and supported more than 900 Tillman scholars.
“I just want to give back to the community and the people that support me and my programs,” said Leavitt. “Just to be able to do something like that in a way that’s super beneficial, I’m happy to be able to give back. It’s a big thing to me and my family. I’ve got a cousin who’s a Green Beret. It means a lot to me. It’s a big-time story at ASU. So to able to do that and give back in a situation where I’m helping kids out, at the same time, it just makes me feel like a better person.”
Arizona State retired Tillman’s No. 42 jersey, and the former Sun Devil is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The Arizona Cardinals also retired his No. 40 NFL jersey and inducted him into their Ring of Honor. Tillman was a first-team All-American in 1997 and collected 374 tackles across four years in the NFL.
“It’s an incredible gift and an honor to see a young kid that really understands what we do here at the foundation and wants to invest in what we call the ‘ripple effect’ of Pat’s legacy,” Pat Tillman Foundation CEO Katherine Steele said. “And so for a young kid to recognize that and want to give back to the foundation and the mission of what we do — proud. Proud and honored and humbled, for sure.”
This is not the first time Leavitt used his college football fame for good. Late last season, he donated proceeds from his personal merchandise sales to Arizona State’s NIL collective and urged Arby’s to sign eight Sun Devil offensive linemen to NIL deals of their own.
Leavitt established himself as one of college football’s top quarterbacks last season and was one of the primary catalysts — along with running back Cam Skattebo — behind an unforeseen breakout Arizona State campaign. He guided the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff quarterfinals appearance with his 2,885 yards passing, 442 yards rushing and 29 combined touchdowns.
Leavitt joined the Arizona State program as a four-star transfer after he opened his career at Michigan State. He carries three years of eligibility into 2025 but will be draft eligible at the end of his upcoming redshirt sophomore season.
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