In the NIL era, nothing is guaranteed.
Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State learned that when their star quarterback Sam Leavitt transferred to LSU earlier this month. This came one year after helping the Sun Devils to a historic College Football Playoff appearance.
From one former ASU quarterback to another, Jake Plummer has sent something of a warning to Leavitt. The message comes in the wake of his stunning decision to join Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge.
“I never played the game for the money. I just played the game because I loved it. I wanted to win. I wanted to leave an impression. I wanted to take a program like ASU and do something that people would remember. We did that.”
Plummer told Sportscasting.com in a new interview.
As a senior in Tempe, Plummer guided the Sun Devils to an undefeated regular season in 1996. The team earned an appearance in the Rose Bowl, where ASU suffered a last-minute loss to Ohio State.
Two years later, Plummer guided the Arizona Cardinals to their first playoff win since 1947.
Those are the kinds of things that don’t happen “when you’re looking for greener pastures,” Plummer said. But telling Leavitt to be careful what he wishes for is irrelevant now. Plummer knows that.
“I can’t blame (Leavitt) for leaving, but I would have loved to have seen him stay (at ASU). I wish him well and I hope he has a lot of success at LSU.”
