Methodical: Devin Leary Describes his Process Under Center

Command. Ball placement. Touch. Those were the adjectives Mark Stoops used to describe Devin Leary at SEC Media Days, but it does not paint a complete picture.

When Leary was recruited from the transfer portal, he had a plan. It was not a lip-service. The quarterback needed to check all of the right boxes, then make an informed decision. This methodical approach struck a chord with Kentucky’s head coach and it plays a significant role in Leary’s success under center.

Wednesday night Devin Leary joined Andy Staples On3 and shared that transfer portal story. His offensive coordinator, Youngstown native Tim Beck, became the head coach at Coastal Carolina, forcing Leary to evaluate what he wanted out of his final season of college football.

“I didn’t really know what was to come. Having a plan, talking to my Dad and people that I trust, really getting what you want out of the transfer portal in a sense of being developed to an even better of what was before I went into the portal,” Leary said. “I want to enter an offense that’s going to help me develop and get to the next level. Being able to spit out the right terminology and making sure that I’m advancing, not just physically, but also mentally.”

Kentucky’s pro-style offense checked that box. The Wildcats also had an established track record with portal quarterbacks. The talented pass-catchers on the UK depth chart made it a “no brainer” for Leary.

New Kentucky QB Devin Leary joins the show tonight!

(8 pm on the @On3sports YouTube channel)

He was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal, and he explained why he decided to play in Lexington.

Hint: Two particular rising sophomore WRs helped. pic.twitter.com/h0IuDwJ5UI

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) August 23, 2023

How Devin Leary Quickly Processes Information

While you may marvel at his arm, what makes Devin Leary special is what’s going on in-between his ears. Liam Coen said earlier in fall camp that all eligible receivers are available every time the QB takes a snap. Instead of having one or two reads, then throwing the football, Leary is capable of going through every single progression and exhausting all five or six options before letting the ball fly.

So what does that look like? How does he do it? After playing in more than 30 college football games and throwing for 6,000+ yards, he is able to recognize what all 11 members of the defense are doing on every single play.

“I’ve played a good amount of college football now, I’ve played in a couple different systems, seen a ton of defenses. But I think it’s making sure you stay consistent with your process. Every single play I have a pre-snap thought and a post-snap confirmation, based off the coverage, based off what I see and based off our play,” Leary told Staples.

“For me it’s just film study. Making sure that at the end of the day it’s just pattern recognition, making sure that I’ve seen those patterns before, making sure that I’m writing down the right coverages and making sure that I’m training my mind so that when I get out onto the field and see certain rotations or pressure, it all becomes muscle memory. That comes with reps and experience. I’m still challenging myself every day but being able to come back off the field and give as much feed back to Coach Coen is going to help our offense even more.”

The command of the ball and touch on his passes would be insignificant without his methodical approach, the key to unlocking Kentucky’s offense in 2023.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.