In Gator Bowl vs. Clemson, Devin Leary has chance to end Kentucky career on high note

December is the time for hope in college football’s transfer portal market.

Transfer additions are the key to teams taking the next step. Portal losses are simply an opportunity to open scholarships for new contributors.

But the hype of transfer season does not always carry over into games. A year ago, Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary was ranked as the top available quarterback in the portal at the time he committed to the Wildcats. However, Leary’s one season at UK has not gone according to plan.

He has one more chance to flip that narrative when he leads the Wildcats in the Gator Bowl against Clemson on Friday.

“Being able to step away for a little bit, you have some time to reflect,” Leary said. “I think going into a bowl game, the biggest thing is to enjoy these last moments. This is going to be my last college game, as well as a ton of other guys in the locker room. It’s up to us to really just cherish the little moments.

“Whether it’s practicing, having fun with the scout team guys, talking to coaches. I think the biggest thing for us is this one last ride with everyone, let’s make it a special one.”

The comparisons between Leary and former UK quarterback Will Levis were inevitable since Leary was following Levis in stepping into the Wildcats’ starting job from the transfer portal. Leary was not viewed as the same caliber NFL draft prospect as Levis, who was selected in the second round by the Tennessee Titans a few months after Leary enrolled at UK, but Leary brought more college success to Lexington than Levis.

That success did not carry over into the SEC though.

Leary’s 56.3 completion percentage during the regular season was his lowest since his freshman year at N.C. State. He threw for 23 touchdowns, but his 10 interceptions were more than his final two seasons at N.C. State combined.

There were moments of brilliance for Leary when the pinpoint accuracy he displayed in preseason practices open to the media resulted in near-perfect throws into tight coverage, but too often that accuracy disappeared when Leary had the chance to throw to wide open receivers. Struggles from Kentucky’s pass-catchers with drops and poor routes did not help Leary’s case, but it would be difficult to label his regular season as anything but a disappointment.

In recent weeks, Kentucky coaches have pointed to communication issues as contributing to a pace of play that resulted in the fewest offensive plays of any team in the country.

“We’ve got to play faster at the quarterback position, continue to get the play in and out of the huddle and play faster and still have the same play calls that we always had,” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said.

There is still time for Leary to write a happy ending to his Kentucky story though.

A matchup with No. 25 Clemson in the Gator Bowl presents the opportunity for a second marquee victory to pair with UK’s upset of Louisville in the Governor’s Cup rivalry. While Leary’s performance against Louisville was overshadowed by several teammates, he still impressed with 206 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Following that performance with a strong showing against Clemson would mean Leary ended his Kentucky career with two of his best games in the biggest moments.

Leary has experience playing against Clemson too.

In three games against Dabo Swinney’s Tigers at N.C. State, Leary completed 61.7% of his passes for 649 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. One of the best performances of his college career came in 2021 against Clemson when he completed 32 of 44 passes for 238 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 27-21 victory.

“It’s ironic a little bit to see them again, but they’re a great team,” Leary said. “We know it’s going to be a good challenge. We know that they’re going to be expecting us to bring our ‘A’ game as well. So you know, it’s up to us to prepare during this time and make sure we’re ready to take them on.”

Leary’s chances of ending his Kentucky career with a strong performance have been boosted by the decision of running back Ray Davis to play in the game and UK’s ability to hold onto its top receivers during portal season. Clemson’s defense has been hit with multiple opt outs and transfers among its starting unit, but Kentucky still must address the offensive inconsistency that plagued it for much of the season.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge for us on the perimeter to win, to get open and make contested catches, throw the ball into small windows,” Coen said. “It’s a great challenge for us, being able to go and play Clemson, because they aren’t built at all like the majority of teams in that conference.”

Do that, and Leary will become just the fifth quarterback to lead UK to an eight-win season since 1984. One game is unlikely to dramatically alter Leary’s NFL draft stock, but a strong showing against Clemson could at least help him land an invitation to the scouting combine.

For now, the focus is on simpler motivations though.

“I really enjoy everyone in the locker room,” Leary said. “Especially being a transfer, a new guy, they embraced me. I feel like everyone in the entire locker room created bonds that we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. So, really being able to go out there and compete with my brothers one last time is really all I could ask for.”

Friday

Kentucky vs. No. 22 Clemson

What: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

When: Noon

Where: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida

TV: ESPN

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Kentucky 7-5 (3-5 SEC), Clemson 8-4 (4-4 ACC)

Series: Kentucky leads 8-5

Last meeting: Clemson won 21-13 on Dec. 27, 2009, in the Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tennessee

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