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Quarterback Sam Leavitt reaping the benefits of Arizona State's return to national prominence

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Quarterback Sam Leavitt reaping the benefits of Arizona State's return to national prominence
Sport

Sport

Quarterback Sam Leavitt reaping the benefits of Arizona State's return to national prominence

2025-04-18 07:25 Last Updated At:07:32

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Leavitt hit a few shots into the simulator and handed the club back to the fitting specialist. After a few tweaks, Leavitt took the club back and hit a few more shots, repeating the process over and over.

When it got down to the driver — Leavitt's least-favorite club — he hit a few wild shots before striping a few down the animated fairway with a club better suited to his swing.

“It's been super cool figuring out stuff about my swing, hitting different shafts, seeing how all the different weights come off and how the ball feels,” Leavitt said from PXG's flagship store. “Seeing the spin rate and all the metrics has been a really cool experience.”

Leavitt's abilities on a football field have helped create a cool experience for Arizona State fans.

A year after winning three games in an injury-plagued first season under coach Kenny Dillingham, the Sun Devils rode a whirlwind of momentum back into national prominence in 2024. With Leavitt leading the offense, Arizona State had its best season since reaching the 1996 Rose Bowl, matching a school record with 11 wins while reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time.

The Sun Devils came up just short after a memorable comeback against Texas in the Peach Bowl, but created a buzz in the desert and beyond that's carried into spring football.

Arizona State's run has ratcheted up expectations while creating some Heisman Trophy buzz for its quarterback.

“What often happens in your second year is you kind of downshift in your rig and everything gets a little slower,” Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo told reporters recently. “Because of that, we're going to add a little more to his plate.”

The plate off the field has been overflowing since the Sun Devils' improbable run to the CFP last season.

Leavitt has cashed in on the NIL era, landing deals with the Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers restaurant chain, a car dealership and with Arizona State's in-house Sun Angel Collective. He is donating all of his merchandise royalties from the Sun Angel Collective back to the football program.

Leavitt's newfound fame also has led to some unique opportunities.

He had front row seats to a Phoenix Suns game earlier this season and joined coach Kenny Dillingham with three teammates to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game — an exciting experience even if the pitch didn't go as planned.

“They didn't give me a warmup and it sailed on me,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt likes to play golf with buddies to relax a little away from the fast-paced world of college football. He took a break from practice for the PXG fitting, but has primarily been focused on making himself and his team better in preparation for next season.

Once spring football ends, Leavitt plans to head back to his hometown of West Linn, Oregon, to host a football camp for kids and is working on a trip to Florida with a handful of teammates for some intense offseason workouts.

The opportunities — financial and otherwise — will likely continue to arise for Arizona State's most high-profile player and he plans to take full advantage.

“Now I’m in a position where I get connected with all these people who are really successful and the more you’re around successful people, that’s what you tend to do for yourself,” Leavitt said. “So it’s been a blessing for me, not only as a football player, but as a person.”

Leavitt — the person and the player — has been a key reason the Sun Devils are rising and he's doing his best to keep it going.

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FILE - Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) rns out of the pocket against Texas during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) rns out of the pocket against Texas during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S, maker of blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy, said Friday its CEO was stepping down by “mutual agreement” with the company's board of directors, citing “recent market challenges” and a steep decline in the company's share price.

Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen's departure comes a week after the company downgraded its sales and profits forecast, and follows a more than 50% decline in the company's shares since mid-2024. Shares had skyrocketed after the introduction of Wegovy and diabetes medicine Ozempic, which are both based on the same basic ingredient, semaglutide.

At the peak, the company's market capitalization - or the combined price of all its shares - exceeded Denmark's annual gross domestic product and made it Europe's most valuable company, a title it has since lost to software maker SAP.

The company said May 7 that Wegovy sales in the U.S. had been undercut by cheaper replica drugs produced by so-called compounding pharmacies using active ingredients of patented drugs in case of shortage. The Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. drug regulator, has said however that the shortages have eased and the replicas will have to cease in the coming months.

The drugs are part of a wave of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that also includes another Novo weight loss drug, Saxenda. They have soared in popularity due to the amount of weight people lose while taking the injections.

On Sunday a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing people lost more weight using competitor drug Zepbound, made by Eli Lilly of Indianapolis. The study, the first head-to-head comparison of the two, was funded by Lilly. Novo Nordisk's share price is down 54% from its peak in June 2024. Its U.S.-listed shares fell another 3% in morning trading Friday.

The company, headquartered in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, praised a “significant growth journey and transformation” led by Jorgensen during his eight years as CEO. He has been with the company since 1991.

“The changes are, however, made in light of the recent market challenges Novo Nordisk has been facing, and the development of the company’s share price since mid-2024,” the company said in a statement. The board and Jorgensen “have jointly concluded that initiating a CEO succession is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.”

Jorgensen will continue as CEO “for a period” to support a smooth transition.

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AP Health Writer Tom Murphy contributed from Indianapolis.

Boxes for the medications Wegovy and Zepbound are arranged for a photograph in California on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/JoNel Aleccia)

Boxes for the medications Wegovy and Zepbound are arranged for a photograph in California on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/JoNel Aleccia)

FILE - Novo Nordisk headquarters in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)

FILE - Novo Nordisk headquarters in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)

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