Devin Leary: Landing spots for NC State transfer QB
RALEIGH, N.C. (BVM) – The list of high-level quarterbacks entering the NCAA transfer portal seems to grow by the day. The most recent news coming from the position continued following the conference championship weekend when NC State quarterback Devin Leary decided to toss his name into the mix.
Source: N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Leary will have one year of eligibility remaining. He's thrown for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns, making him one of the most productive portal quarterbacks available. https://t.co/N36c52JU47
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 5, 2022
With 6,807 passing yards and 62 touchdowns in his four years playing for the program, the 6-foot-1 quarterback should be a priority for some of the top contenders in college football. After redshirting his opening year, Leary has gone on to start in three of his four playing seasons, racking up over 3,000 passing and 35 touchdowns during a breakout campaign in 2021. Behind just five interceptions, the Wolfpack quarterback surpassed Philip Rivers’ single-season TD passing record of 34.
Leary’s hopes of having a repeat performance in 2022 came up short after tearing his right pec against Florida State on Oct. 8. In his six starts on the year, Leary passed for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The uber-productive Wolfpack junior will have one year of eligibility remaining and should be a priority target for quarterback-needy teams. With a plethora of talent at the position hitting the portal recently, including the likes of DJ Uiagalelei, Hudson Card, Kedon Slovis and Phil Jurkovec, Leary will certainly be near the top of the transfer list. He will also become the sixth quarterback from the ACC to enter his name into the portal.
Leary’s 62 passing touchdowns leaves him fourth in school history while his over 6,000 passing yards have him just outside the top five in the program’s record books. As teams start their look towards 2023, here’s some potential landing spots for the NC State quarterback.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame could be one of the most active teams vying for an upgrade at quarterback after 2022 starter Drew Pyne announced his intentions to enter the portal. With this year’s opening starter Tyler Buchner sustaining an injury early on in the season, the Irish found themselves once again in flux on the offensive side of the ball. While Buchner will get another shot at the job in 2023, Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame coaching staff will certainly look to add another name into the mix to compete for the spot. Leary could provide some much needed consistency that has been lacking in recent years.
Wisconsin
The Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin is underway and the new coaching hire will likely come with a host of new roster moves. After this past season’s starter Graham Mertz entered his name into the transfer portal, Wisconsin should be one of the programs most active in bringing in talent. Leary has already proven to be the kind of player the Badgers are in search of at the position and would only add to the legacy of NC State-Wisconsin transfers following Russell Wilson’s move back in 2011.
Florida
With quarterback Anthony Richardson heading to the NFL draft, and the dismissal of Jalen Kitna following his arrest, Florida is suddenly in need of a starter at the position heading into 2023. With Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III set for an opportunity, adding some depth could be in the cards for Billy Napier who will be looking to replace the production left behind from Richardson. Leary could provide the Gators a perfect fill-in after the team passed for over 2,700 yards this season.
Kentucky
Current quarterback Will Levis is well on his way to becoming a top pick in the NFL draft. The addition of Leary makes a lot of sense for both sides as the Wildcats’ obtain a consistent producer to replace their top quarterback, and Leary is able to slot into an offense that just produced a top draft pick at quarterback. After a 7-5 season in 2022, Kentucky still has some question marks heading into next year but landing Leary would continue the positive ascension under head coach Mark Stoops.
Missouri
On the surface, a middling Missouri program doesn’t seem like a clear fit for Leary. But, head coach Eli Drinkwitz recruited the now-former NC State quarterback to the ACC school coming out of high school. Drinkwitz didn’t want to speculate but told Missouri media he was “taken aback” by the transfer news. If Leary were to land on with the Tigers, it could be the spark the program has been looking for.
