ESPN’s Cole Cubelic had much praise for new Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary on his podcast, Cube Show.
When justifying why he had Kentucky in the top five of his SEC power rankings, Cole Cubelic said, “There’s almost no conversation about Devin Leary. I’m here to tell you guys the kid can f***ing play.”
So, just how much can Devin Leary “f***ing play”? Let’s take a look at his collegiate career thus far:
Leary came out of high school as a three-star prospect out of Sicklerville, New Jersey, where he was named the 2016 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. On April 6, 2017, Devin Leary committed to NC State, and he would play for the Wolfpack from 2019-2022.
- 2019: 8 Games, 101 Cmp, 210 Att, 48.1 Cmp%, 1,219 Yds, 8 TDs, 5 INTs
- 2020: 4 Games, 66 Cmp, 110 Att, 60 Cmp%, 890 Yds, 8 TDs, 2 INTs
- 2021: 12 Games, 283 Cmp, 431 Att, 65.7 Cmp%, 3,433 Yds, 35 TDs, 5 INTs
- 2022: 6 Games, 118 Cmp, 193 Att, 61.1 Cmp%, 1,265 Yds, 11 TDs, 4 INTs
As you can see, the injury bug has been a bit of an issue with Leary, but when he is healthy, he is lights out.
His freshman year was rather mediocre. Most of the passes Leary threw fell incomplete, and his 8 TDs to 5 INTs weren’t promising. However, things began to turn around his sophomore year.
Despite only playing four games in 2020 due to breaking his fibula (calf bone), significant improvements in Leary’s accuracy and play-making ability were apparent. His completion percentage rose to 60%, and his 8 TDs to 2 INTs were trending in the right direction.
After breaking his fibula, Leary took a redshirt year. So, in what was his redshirt sophomore year in 2021, Leary was back and better than ever. The stats speak for themselves. Leary completed just under 66% of his passes, threw for almost 3,500 yards, and had 35 TDs to only 5 INTs.
2021 was a borderline Heisman candidate year for Devin Leary. He led NC State to a 9-3 record and a final ranking in the top 20 in both the AP poll and the Coaches Poll. As a Kentucky football fan, this is the type of season you should hope for and expect from Leary.
In his final year at NC State in 2022, Leary would just play in 6 games due to a torn pectoral muscle he suffered against Florida State in a 19-17 win. He seemed to be on pace for yet another great season, completing 61.1% of his passes and throwing for 1,265 yards. His 11 TDs to 4 INTs was also a good sign.
At the point of Leary’s injury, NC State was 5-1 and had just beaten No. 12 Florida State. Their only loss at that point was to Clemson, who barely scraped by the Wolfpack.
After a successful surgery on his torn pectoral muscle and after making a full recovery, the Big Blue Nation anxiously waits to see how their new offensive captain will lead the team.
And just based off of Cole Cubelic’s praise of Devin Leary and his stats at NC State, the future is bright for Kentucky football.
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