Mark Stoops likes natural leadership ability Devin Leary has (W/ Photos)

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(Vicky Graff Photo)

Devin Leary is a first-year player at Kentucky but played in 30 career games at North Carolina State before transferring to UK and has thrown for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns with just 16 interceptions.

Those numbers — and a 60 percent accuracy rate — have made Leary not only the logical successor to Will Levis at quarterback but also in line as a likely team leader, something that coach Mark Stoops is all for.

“I think he’s a very natural leader,” Stoops said after Saturday’s open practice. “He’s trying not to force it. He’s trying to earn the respect of his team and just get out there and make sure he masters his craft in his backyard at this point.”

Other coaches and players have praised Leary’s work ethic and personality with his teammates. He’s worked to become a leader instead of expecting to automatically be a team leader.

“He definitely has some leadership skills,” Stoops said. “He does a lot of things behind the scenes and he doesn’t have to be vocal.

“He spends an awful lot of time with the wideouts, the wide receivers, the running backs, watching film, spending time with them. So, he’s doing a lot extra.”

It was a “tough day” Saturday for Leary to show off his accuracy because of the high winds blowing during practice. Stoops said that limited any downfield passing but he liked what Leary did in the “quick” game with run-pass options.

“Connecting early and moving the football,” Stoops said about what he liked. “Some of that, when you saw those zingers, were RPOs were tight windows. I thought, early on, the completion he made to T-Rob (Tayvion Robinson), there wasn’t a big window there.

“I was standing right behind it and it didn’t look open at all. It was a really nice throw, he threw it the only place it could be caught.”

UKFB Spring Practice

Vicky Graff Photos

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