Star quarterback Sam Leavitt will not play in Week 7, but Kenny Dillingham will not lack experience at quarterback. Arizona State will face Utah on the road with college football journeyman Jeff Sims under center for the 27th start of his six-year career.
Despite Arizona State coming off a bye, Leavitt will miss the game to nurse an undisclosed injury. The team has since confirmed that Sims will receive the spot start in his place, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Sims started one game in 2024 when Leavitt missed a midseason game against Cincinnati. Sims went 11-of-23 for 155 passing yards, resulting in Arizona State's only loss in its final eight regular season games.
Before joining the Sun Devils, Sims spent the first three years of his career with Georgia Tech before a one-year stint at Nebraska. He started the majority of his games with the Yellow Jackets, compiling 4,464 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 23 interceptions before hitting the transfer portal.
In his first career start at Georgia Tech, Sims led the Yellow Jackets to an upset of Florida State, Thamel pointed out. Dillingham, Sims' current coach at Arizona State, was then the Seminoles' offensive coordinator.
Sims also started at Nebraska as the starter before being benched, giving him at least one start in all six of his college football seasons. Sims' career began in 2020, giving him starts against Trevor Lawrence, Tommy DeVito and Kenny Pickett, among others, per Thamel.
Jeff Sims leads Arizona State into road clash with Utah
Although Sims is 0-1 as a starter with Arizona State, the Sun Devils need him to reverse that trend in Week 7. The Sun Devils recently re-entered the back end of the top-25 rankings after their win over TCU, meaning a loss, with or without Leavitt, would likely push them out.
The win over TCU was Arizona State's third consecutive, improving its record to 4-1. Since their stunning loss to Mississippi State in Week 2, the Sun Devils have been on a tear, beating Baylor on the road in Week 4 before topping the Horned Frogs.
Sims luckily had the benefit of the bye week to prepare for the upcoming matchup. Arizona State has not played since Sept. 26, giving Dillingham an additional seven days to prepare his interim quarterback for Utah.
The Utes enter Week 7 with an identical 4-1 record and are also coming off a bye week. Utah dominated West Virginia in its last time out, putting it back on track after a brutal 34-10 loss to Texas Tech in Week 4.
