Devin Leary explains his confidence in Kentucky's offensive line in 2023
One of the biggest reasons transfer quarterback Devin Leary landed on Kentucky out of the transfer portal was the offensive line. That might be a surprise to those who saw the Wildcats’ offensive line regress in 2022.
But Leary gave two key reasons for the offensive line to be much improved in 2023: Scheme continuity and improved talent and depth. Along with bringing back 2021 offensive coordinator Liam Coen, the Wildcats added a pair of key offensive line transfers.
“Yeah, I just think the guys that we brought in. The additions of Tanner [Bowles], Marques [Cox], and everyone that really returned, too, last year. Obviously, a lot of guys at the offensive line position have a lot of reps under their belt. And really just on top of that, coach Coen coming in, being able to have a stagnant scheme for them, making sure that everything is in place.”
One benefit of Coen coming back, on top of the familiar scheme, is familiar verbiage to discuss said scheme. A lot of players who were on the roster in 2021 are already familiar with the terminology being used.
“It’s really good to hear a lot of the terminology from 2021 with the guys that have been here, sounds very familiar,” Leary said. “So they’re able to pick up on it fast. And like I said, adding depth to that room made this decision much more easier for me.”
Devin Leary reveals his biggest takeaway in Kentucky’s offense
Devin Leary is at Kentucky to follow in the footsteps of Will Levis — he wants to be a quarterback in the NFL one day. In Liam Coen’s offense, he’s going to be the centerpiece of a true pro-style offense, and Leary admitted that Coen’s offense was one of the most influential reasons for committing to Kentucky.
“The biggest thing that stands out to me is how balanced it is,” Leary said in his introductory press conference Wednesday. “Coach Coen does a great job of calling the offense and really designing to where — there are so many ways we can attack defenses whether that’s utilizing the tight end, receivers, getting 12 personnel, running the football, using two backs.
“The biggest difference to diving into more compared to the previous couple of offenses I’ve been in is that it’s pro-style. You need to run to succeed in this league and to just help me in my development as well.”
Having the No. 2 QB in the NCAA Transfer Portal — per the On3 Consensus — spend his final season of eligibility in Lexington is one of the biggest gets of the Mark Stoops era.
With Levis, he was an unproven third down, downhill rushing quarterback coming to Kentucky from Penn State out of the transfer portal. He was not on anybody’s leaderboards let alone become a projected first-round NFL Draft pick.
Leary will come to the program with 6,807 career passing yards and 62 career passing touchdowns under his belt and the tagline of an immediate impact player. He missed the final six games of this season due to an upper-body injury but had 1,265 yards with 11 TD passes and four interceptions before going down.
He’s expected to lead Kentucky the same way Levis did, and the NFL potentially knocking on Leary’s door in a years time, he wants to leave his mark on Kentucky in the short time he has with the program.