Kentucky’s Devin Leary by the numbers: New Wildcat has been a college QB for a long time.

Whether you like the NCAA transfer portal or not, it has been good to the University of Kentucky when it comes to producing starting quarterbacks.

Stephen Johnson, Terry Wilson and Will Levis all led UK to bowl games in recent years after joining the Wildcats from other programs.

This year, Kentucky turns to another transfer in the form of Devin Leary, a veteran signal caller by way of North Carolina State.

Let’s take a look at some numbers that bring perspective to what the Wildcats are getting in this 6-foot-1, 217-pound senior.

0

The number of bowl games in which Devin Leary has played. Leary was redshirted when N.C. State qualified for the Gator Bowl after the 2018 season. The Wolfpack did not qualify for a bowl in 2019. Leary missed the Gator Bowl against Kentucky after the 2020 season because of injury. After the 2021 season, North Carolina State’s Holiday Bowl appearance against UCLA was canceled hours before kickoff because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the Bruins’ program. Last season, Leary missed N.C. State’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl contest because of injury.

1

College degrees Leary possesses. He graduated from North Carolina State in December 2022 with a degree in sport management and is currently working on an undergraduate degree in business at Kentucky.

2

Hands with which Leary enjoys command. He writes left-handed but throws right-handed. He learned to throw with his right because he used his right-handed brother’s baseball glove as a kid.

4

Leary’s number of siblings: brothers Andrew and Donovan and sisters Riley and Shannon. Donovan is a redshirt freshman quarterback at the University of Illinois.

5

The number of seasons Leary was on the roster at North Carolina State before transferring to Kentucky. Leary was redshirted by the Wolfpack in 2018, then started games for N.C. State in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. He will exhaust his final season of college eligibility, earned as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this season in Lexington.

5-1

North Carolina State’s record last season at the time Leary went down with a season-ending pectoral injury. The Wolfpack finished 8-5.

13

The jersey number Leary will wear for Kentucky. It’s the same number he wore all four seasons at North Carolina State and at Timber Creek High School in New Jersey.

16

The number of career interceptions Leary has thrown, a rate of 0.53 per game (16 in 30 games). For comparison’s sake, Will Levis’ college interception rate was 0.66 (25 in 33 games).

17-9

Devin Leary’s record as a starting quarterback at North Carolina State.

18

Devin Leary’s ranking by Athlon Sports in its annual rating of college football’s 133 Division I starting quarterbacks.

“The New Jersey native is on track to be 100 percent this fall and a transfer to Kentucky to work under play-caller Liam Coen should help his career get back on track,” Athlon’s Steven Lassan wrote. In the SEC, Leary ranked behind KJ Jefferson of Arkansas (No. 9), Jayden Daniels of LSU (No. 10) and Will Rogers of Mississippi State (No. 17).

23

Devin Leary’s age. However, the new Kentucky quarterback will turn 24 on Sept. 10.

30

The number of college football games in which Leary has appeared. After not playing as a redshirt freshman in 2018, he played in eight games in 2019, four in 2020, 12 in 2021 and six in 2022.

60.2

Devin Leary’s career completion percentage, connecting on 568 of 944 attempts. His best season was 2021, when he completed 283 of 431 for 65.7 percent.

62

The number of touchdown passes Leary has thrown as a college quarterback. A school-record 35 of those came during his breakout season in 2021, a campaign in which he threw only five interceptions and totaled 3,433 yards through the air.

136

The number of rushing attempts Leary is credited with during his college career. Keeping in mind that sacks are counted as rushing attempts for a quarterback in college football, Leary’s career rushing total is minus-19 yards. He’s also scored five touchdowns on the ground. Bottom line: If you like a running quarterback, Leary is not your guy.

6,807

The number of yards Leary has passed for during his college career.

9,672

The number of yards Leary passed for in high school, where he started three seasons for Timber Creek in New Jersey. That number set a state record, as did Leary’s 117 passing touchdowns.

This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 10:12 AM.