In his freshman season, Barion Brown exploded onto the scene and quickly became one of the most dynamic players in the SEC. The star freshman also had the advantage of having a projected top-10 pick throwing him the ball throughout the season. With Will Levis off to the NFL, Key will have a new face in the quarterback room: Devin Leary.
The former Wolfpack quarterback comes to Lexington as the highest rated quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason. Despite recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, Leary is going through drills at spring practice. Given the comments of Dane Key, it seems as if the injury is not bothering the new Wildcat quarterback that much. "Devin knows how to put the ball where it needs to be with some touch."
As we know, that was something Will Levis struggled with at times. Even with his self-proclaimed "cannon" of an arm, Levis had difficulty putting touch on his throws to combat his arm strength. Given the words of Dane Key, it seems as if that will not be a problem with the new QB1. This may be a hot take given the fact that Will Levis will be a millionaire in just a little over a month, but it's not crazy to believe this will be one of the many reasons that Leary will be a better option for Kentucky than Levis was.
Let's make one thing clear, this is NOT a Will Levis hate article. He deserves the attention and praise he has been receiving. With that, Devin Leary's ability to protect the football and put more air under his passes makes him a more 'formidable' quarterback in Kentucky's system. Even his teammates have pointed out things like this as highlighted above. Long story short, it is perfectly reasonable to be excited about the man under center for the Cats this year.