The Tennessee quarterback situation has been nothing short of a rollercoaster all offseason. The Vols put almost all their chips on landing Sam Leavitt, and now it’s starting to look like that high-stakes gamble could come back to haunt them.
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In heartbreaking news, Sam Leavitt is off the board, as Pete Thamel of ESPN announced that Leavitt has decided to play for Lane Kiffin at LSU. This one hurts, as Josh Heupel seemed to be in the driver's seat in this recruitment. Leavitt was only supposed to visit Knoxville for a day, but he extended his stay by one more day. This got fans excited, as who would extend a visit to somewhere they hated?
A major event happened during the visit, though, as the former Vols head coach Kiffin took an unorthodox approach, flying to Knoxville to try to make amends with Leavitt before he departed Tennessee for his Miami visit. This seemingly was a big factor in why Leavitt committed to LSU.
Sources: Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt is expected to sign with LSU. Leavitt’s pick comes after trips to Kentucky, Tennessee and Miami. He led ASU to the College Football Playoff in 2024 and has 4,652 career passing yards and 36 touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/sAol6XDodc
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 12, 2026
Where does Tennessee pivot after missing out on Sam Leavitt?
With Joey Aguilar most likely out of eligibility, Tennessee has to pivot to a new option. Where should the Vols look? There are still some solid quarterbacks left in the portal, but none as good as Leavitt.
Beau Pribula and Ty Simpson are both very good options. They each have SEC experience and can make all the throws needed in Heupel's offense.
The Tuscaloosa News has reported that Mario Cristobal's offer is $6.5 million for Simpson to play his final year for the Hurricanes. It's no shock that Cristobal is hitting the portal for a veteran quarterback, as he got Cam Ward and Carson Beck the last two years. There has been some chatter about Ty Simpson being involved with the Vols, so maybe they can match this?
Tennessee has already brought in Pribula for a visit, so there was some interest before Leavitt committed to LSU. Do the Vols apply the full-court press on the former Missouri signal-caller?
The harsh reality is, the Vols missed their top target and now they are standing alone at the alter. Josh Heupel needs to come up with a backup plan soon before its too late.