I’m not doing that thing.

By “that thing,” I’m referring to what we often do with transfer portal quarterbacks after they announce their destinations. That is, overhype them. In many cases, we overlooked the issues that led to them leaving a school in the first place.

I promise you that with Devin Leary, I’m not doing that thing.

When I ranked the top transfer portal quarterbacks a couple weeks ago, I had the former NC State star at No. 1. That’s right. Leary is a star. In his last healthy season (2021), he broke Philip Rivers’ NC State record with 35 passing touchdowns, 27 of which came against ACC competition. In 2022, he suffered a midseason pectoral injury and when offensive coordinator Tim Beck left for Coastal Carolina, Leary hit the portal for a new opportunity.

Enter Kentucky, stage left. Enter All-SEC upside, stage right.

To be clear, Leary could both start and end 2023 as an All-SEC quarterback. The only signal-caller who might have more All-SEC love entering 2023 is KJ Jefferson, who already played well in 2 years as a starter at Arkansas.

Give me Leary over the inconsistent guys like Jaxson Dart, Brady Cook, Joe Milton or even any current LSU quarterback. Unproven SEC quarterbacks like Jalen Milroe or Carson Beck haven’t shown that they’re better than Leary yet, and while Will Rogers certainly trumps Leary with the cumulative numbers, he still hasn’t finished better than No. 49 in FBS in quarterback rating.

Of course, we’ll wait and see the way the portal plays out. Graham Mertz to Florida isn’t moving the needle, but if someone like Sam Hartman were to enter the fray, well, that would change things a bit.

No matter what, though, Leary deserves to be ranked on the short list of top SEC quarterbacks.

For my money, there weren’t 10 returning quarterbacks better than Leary entering 2022. That’s why he was the preseason ACC Player of the Year. They used to make statues for guys who put up a 35-5 TD-INT ratio with 3,433 passing yards. No other quarterback in America had at least 35 touchdown passes and just 5 or fewer interceptions.

In 2021, Leary was on the back burner in his own conference. Between the meteoric rises of Kenny Pickett and Sam Hartman, coupled with the disappointing seasons from DJ Uiagalelei and Sam Howell, it was easy to lose track of Leary.

All Leary did was put up 4-touchdown games against 5 of the 8 ACC teams he faced, and among Power 5 quarterbacks, he ranked No. 8 in FBS in quarterback rating against P5 competition. He also went nearly 2 months without throwing an interception. That’s pretty impressive for someone who averaged 36 pass attempts per game.

Say what you want about Will Levis — there are plenty of opinions on him — but his undeniable knock was ball security. Leary, as a multi-year starter who’ll get a full offseason in Kentucky’s offense, should be able to avoid that same critique. Why? Leary has some favorable surroundings.

Liam Coen is reportedly returning to Kentucky after 1 year with the Los Angeles Rams. It was Coen who revamped Kentucky’s offensive scheme with Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan concepts and led it to its best offensive season since 2007. Levis burst onto the national scene with Coen at the controls. Leary is already on the national scene.

Also on the scene? Dane Key and Barion Brown, AKA the 2 stud freshman receivers who undoubtedly made UK’s sell that much better. Both of them were full-time starters who flashed immense potential. Five-star A&M receiver Evan Stewart was the only SEC freshman who finished with more receiving yards than Key and Brown. Leary might not have the NFL attributes of Levis, but I’d argue he’s better fit to target and feed those 2 emerging weapons more consistently.

Both guys bring different things to the table. Brown’s speed and Key’s ability to win 1-on-1 matchups will make the UK passing attack versatile and dangerous. Dare I say, it’s poised to be the best of the Mark Stoops era.

Of course, Leary’s upside could largely be determined why whether Kentucky’s “Big Blue Wall” is actually a wall and not the open gate it was in 2022. The offensive line has to improve. You can’t play behind a bad offensive line and still finish as an All-SEC quarterback. Maybe one can pull that off in the ACC, but not in the SEC. The edge rushers in this conference are too good. Leary also isn’t as mobile as a healthy Levis, nor is he probably as durable at 6-1, 212 pounds.

But having a poised, proven 23-year-old quarterback (he’ll actually be 24 in Week 2 of 2023) to navigate those waters is the best possible Christmas gift that Kentucky could’ve asked for. The Cats had a favorable sell with the pro-style offense and the returning pieces (including Coen).

Rare it is to see a Power 5 quarterback with a 62-16 TD-INT ratio hit the portal. Even more rare is seeing Kentucky turn into a desired transfer destination for a quarterback. Levis and his NFL Draft stock certainly changed that.

It was Levis who led the Cats’ most prolific offense since Andre Woodson back in 2007. It was Woodson who was Kentucky’s last All-SEC quarterback at season’s end.

Don’t be surprised if it’s Leary who’s next.