The ball was hiked from the 25-yard line. Michigan State true freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt dropped back to the 32-yard line and looked left to draw coverage away from his intended receiver. When he looked back to the right, he saw Montorie Foster Jr streaking down the sideline to the end zone. He put the ball right where it had to be and Foster hauled it in. It gave Michigan State a 20-10 lead, one that the Spartans would not relinquish.

“I knew it was cover one so I was just trying to hold the post safety and Montorie (Foster) was able to run a great route,” said Leavitt after the game. “(I) just (gave) him a chance to make a play on the ball and he had an incredible catch. I was able to throw the ball on the line and fit it in the window.”

While Leavitt only played two series of downs in last Saturday’s 20-17 victory over Nebraska in Spartan Stadium, he did throw the eventual game winning touchdown pass and looked good doing it. He also had an impressive quarterback-keeper the play before on third down to keep the drive alive.

“It’s a quarterback run designed and the running back is leading so I’m trusting him to make a great block, which he does,” said Leavitt. “And our line held up really well so I was able to squeeze the gap and get the first. It wasn’t me, it was the o-line and the running back setting that up, setting the team up for success.”

Sitting behind the table in the Spartan media room with a scrum of reporters around him, answering their questions with poise, Leavitt seems mature beyond his age.

Confident? Yes.

Cocky? Close, but not quite.

MSU Interim Head Coach Harlon Barnett has said that publicly in his press conferences.

"He's very, very confident," Barnett said. "On the border of cocky, but he's not cocky, he's very confident and I love that about him."

And Leavitt is only getting better as the season progresses. When asked how he has improved during his time in East Lansing, his list of reasons is impressive:

“Processing the play, taking what the defense gives me, not trying to force balls in windows, understanding the offense better, every day just coming to work. I do feel like I’m a lot better (than a month ago),” said Leavitt.

There are a couple decisions pending, though, regarding Leavitt’s future, one short term, one long term.

1. How to handle the rest of his freshman year since he has played in the allotted four games before his redshirt would be considered ‘burned’.

2. Should he stick it out at Michigan State in 2024 or look to the transfer portal and a fresh start elsewhere.

On the first point, that’s up in the air. To be determined.

“I haven’t made any decisions yet,” said Leavitt. “I have to go home and talk to my parents and my family, Coach Barnett, and Coach Johnson and figure everything out. We’ll see what happens. Just gotta do what’s best for you and the team. Having those conversations and figuring what the best path is.”

Earlier this week at his press conference, Barnett shared similar thoughts at his media briefing.

"We can't share that information," he said Monday, smiling. "We're going to do what's best for the team and that's what [Leavitt] wants to as well... we're still working through it."

It’s clear that Leavitt loves playing the game of football and would love to play in the Horseshoe against Ohio State, at Ford Field versus Penn State, and even at Indiana next weekend.

But is it worth burning his redshirt year?

It's not an easy decision — but it's one he’s making with his coaches and his parents as we speak.

On the second point, though — regarding his future college plans — that decision is a much easier one for Leavitt.

Sam’s dad, Jared -- who played collegiate football for Brigham Young University — recently told Spartans Illustrated that his son Sam loves it at Michigan State and "he'd have to be dragged out of here."

As long as the next coach wants him at Michigan State, Sam is not planning on going anywhere.

In fact, since Sam is their youngest child, Jared and his wife Tania moved from the Portland, Oregon area to Dewitt, Michigan (15 minutes northwest of Michigan State's campus) to be near Sam and Sam’s older brother, Dallin Leavitt, who plays safety for the Green Bay Packers.

"It's about a seven-hour drive to see [Dallin] play," said Jared.

The Leavitts are a football family, and they know a good program when they see one. Jared mentioned that Sam fell in love with Michigan State when he first visited and doesn’t want to be anywhere else.

Spartan fans probably won’t know whether or not Sam will burn his redshirt until this weekend in Columbus, but they can rest assured that — as long as he gets his way — Sam Leavitt will be wearing green and white in East Lansing next fall.

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