If there were any questions as to whether or not Kentucky football could compete with the larger revenue-generating programs in this new age of NIL – they have been answered. Kentucky stated on Tuesday that it landed Devin Leary from NC State, the #1 ranked QB in the transfer portal. UK beat out Auburn, Notre Dame, and many others for the highly touted prospect. This is easily the biggest recruiting win of the Stoops Era and certainly one of the biggest in program history.
Devin Leary Is a Cat! And What This Means for Kentucky Football
Last season, Leary was sidelined for the remainder of the year on October 8th after tearing a pectoral muscle. Coming into this past 2022 season, Leary was the consensus ACC Preseason Player of the Year. This was primarily due to his unreal campaign in the prior year of 2021, where he was the only QB in the entire nation to throw for 35 TDs and five or fewer INTs. He is also the first and only player in ACC history to accomplish this feat. He totaled a staggeringly impressive 3,400+ yards on a 65% completion rate.
Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting for 247Sports, said of Leary, “He’s one of the more efficient passers in the country, doesn’t turn the ball over and his arm is on another level… Certainly, you hope he’s healthy and able to get back to the point he was at in that 2021 season at NC State where he was a Johnny Unitas finalist.”
Replacing future Top 10 draft pick Will Levis was essential for this Kentucky Staff, and they have done that and more with the landing of Leary. With 2021 OC Liam Coen reported to return to Lexington after just one season as OC of the Los Angeles Rams, Kentucky now has a completely revamped offensive line with transfers from Alabama and Northern Illinois, one of the top running backs in the portal, Re’Mahn Davis, coming in alongside a healthy Ramone Jefferson, and returning arguably one of – if not the – greatest WR rooms in the country with Barion Brown, Dane Key, and Tayvion Robinson. Look for the Cats to have one of the greatest offensive turnarounds in college football history next season.
There is no doubt that Mark Stoops and his staff have won the transfer portal game this offseason. The future of Kentucky football has never been brighter!
