Transfer quarterback Devin Leary looked good to Mark Stoops in first spring practice

Mark Stoops says it will be easy for Devin Leary to assume a leadership role. (Larry Vaught Photo)

Mark Stoops was almost giddy as he talked about Kentucky going through its first spring practice Monday and part of that was because of what he saw from quarterback Devin Leary, a North Carolina State transfer.

He was a productive starter before an injury limited his 2022 season. Now UK is hoping to hit gold again with him like it did when Will Levis transferred from Penn State to UK two years ago and is now in line to be a top 10 NFL draft pick.

“Obviously, the transfer everybody’s going to want to talk about with Devin and he looked really good, was able to go through basically an entire practice,” Stoops said. “I’m sure that the trainers are watching them and limiting him some but to my eye it was basically an entire practice,” Stoops said.

“He was just fine and looked really good. Along with the other quarterbacks, I think they’re making strides working really hard, working with (offensive coordinator) Liam (Coen) to improve in a lot of ways.”

Much like Levis, Leary is not trying to force his leadership on Kentucky teammates. Stoops likes that he is “waiting” to lead.

“What I mean by waiting is he is earning it and he is doing it respectfully. He can take over a room in five minutes, but he knows that it is about going out and proving it day-in and day-out and not forcing that,” the UK coach said.

“You’ve heard me talk about that before, I think it is very important to just be authentic, be who you are, but also lead and find your voice at the right time and the right moment. Let’s put it this way, it will be very easy for him to step into a full-command type of position. He is that kind of guy.”

Stoops knows Leary is a “pitch count” because of his 2022 injury but that won’t impact UK’s practice routine because of the quarterback depth the Cats have. While Leary is considered the almost certain starter, there could be quite a battle to see who emerges as the No. 2 quarterback going into the season.

“I think it gets difficult at that position because we could still be out there repping for the quarterbacks, but you only have so many linemen and wideouts and defensive backs and so on. They definitely need the reps. I thought it was very evident today that they looked better, and I’m not just saying that,” Stoops said.

“I think it’s important for us to try to find a clear-cut No. 2. Who is that guy, because today, and again we’ve got to go watch the film, we just got off the field, but from my naked eye, just watching it, they all had their moments. They looked really good at times. So, I thought they improved, you’re glad to see that.”