Devin Leary discusses NIL opportunities in portal, finding balance

Devin Leary has since found a new home.

The former NC State quarterback transferred to Kentucky in December. As one of the most sought after names in the portal, he had plenty of options. Leary received significant interest from Notre Dame, Auburn and South Carolina.

He eventually landed on making the move to Lexington, Kentucky, taking over for Will Levis and competing in the SEC.

For all the opportunities thrown his way, however, came with NIL possibilities. As the No. 2 quarterback available in the portal, according to On3’s rankings, there was no shortage of incentives.

As one SEC collective operator recently told On3, “there’s not one portal kid we got where there wasn’t compensation.” Multiple sources told On3 one quarterback received $250,000 and a car following his transfer commitment.

Leary had to sift through similar promises during his portal recruitment, all while factoring in what type of offense he wanted to play in and the fit of the program. When he committed, the Wildcats did not have an offensive coordinator; they eventually hired Liam Coen.

Speaking on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Leary explained how he balanced NIL with football while assessing his landing spot.

“The biggest thing with NIL is making sure there are opportunities there,” Leary said. “Obviously, being the quarterback of a university, you’d want to know how you can showcase your name, image and likeness and profit off what you’ve accomplished so far. Now entering into a new school, you want to make sure those same opportunities are there.

“For me, entering the SEC, it’s one of the biggest stages in all of college football. Just about every school I was talking to had opportunities for NIL. The main thing is creating the right balance for NIL opportunities, as well as style of play and fitting into the right system.”

Devin Leary positioned for NIL success

The quarterback signed with Athlete Advantage back in January. The NIL agency based in Lexington has represented a handful of college football players, including Levis. Athlete Advantage also founded and assists in running the day-to-day operations of The 15 Club, Kentucky’s sole NIL collective.

It’s a smart move by Leary. While Steinberg Sports already works with the quarterback and will eventually take over when he moves to the NFL, Athlete Advantage can assist him immediately.

Athlete Advantage set the precedent for what a Kentucky football star can achieve in the NIL market. Working closely with Levis, the NIL firm was able to set up opportunities with Paul Miller Ford and NOBULL.

Levis also inked a deal with Boone’s Trace National Golf Club, which established a 14-man league featuring the quarterback and 13 of his teammates. For six weeks, the players were able to play one competitive nine-hole round a week in return for promoting the course on their social media accounts.

“Devin is handled by Lee Steinberg’s agency, one of the best out there,” Athlete Advantage founder Ryan Miller previously told On3. “They know what they’re doing. But then we’re able to work in that dual role, similar to how we did with Will [Levis]. Technically they’re his agent, but we’re helping him in the NIL space.”

Devin Leary’s On3 NIL Valuation

Devin Leary threw for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns along with four interceptions in just six games in 2022. The quarterback’s year was cut short due to a season-ending pectoral injury. His best season came in 2021 when he led the Wolfpack to a 9-3 mark and threw for 3,433 yards.

He holds a $493,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 60 of college football. His evaluation also ranks 91st in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

With roughly 37,000 social media followers, Leary’s brand value will only rise if he pieces together a strong start to fall.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.