Five possible destinations for transfer QB Devin Leary

NC State quarterback Devin Leary is currently the hottest name on the transfer market. The right-hander entered the NCAA transfer portal Monday and will have a year of eligibility remaining after spending the past five seasons at NC State.

After passing for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns with five interceptions last year, Leary’s season was cut short after he tore his right pectoral against Florida State on Oct. 8. Through six games, he completed 61.1% of his passes for 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. Leary is expected to be cleared by March, meaning he could be ready to take part in spring camp with his new team.

Leary has been efficient in his four seasons at N.C. State, completing a combed 60.1% of his passes for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback is best known for his arm strength. During his breakout season last year, he completed 32 of 65 (49.2%) passes traveling 20 or more yards through the air, good enough for fifth nationally among quarterbacks with at least 50 such throws.

Leary is sure to have several potential suitors moving forward. Here’s a look at five potential landing spots.

Marcus Freeman is putting together a contender at Notre Dame. Adding an elite quarterback to the mix would accelerate that process exponentially. After losing Drew Pyne to the portal, Leary would give the Irish an established passer to go with its improving roster. Notre Dame could also be in the mix for Texas quarterback Hudson Card. However, Leary is more of a proven commodity.

The Gators are looking for a future starter behind center as Anthony Richardson declared for the NFL Draft and Jalen Kitna was dismissed following his arrest. Leary would serve as a nice plug-in starter for a year, allowing Billy Nappier to rebuild at the position.

Could the Crimson Tide hit the transfer portal to find Bryce Young’s replacement? Alabama returns two Rivals100 quarterbacks in Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. It is also set to bring in two four-star passers in Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein. Still, an experienced option like Leary would be hard to turn down.

There are too many connections here to ignore. For starters, Leary’s younger brother, Donovan, is a freshman quarterback for the Fighting Illini. Donovan likely isn’t ready to take over the reins next year, so Devin wouldn’t be blocking him either.

Illinois wide receivers coach George McDonald served as Devin’s passing-game coordinator during his first two seasons at N.C. State. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is also close with N.C. State head coach Dave Doren, who worked under him at Wisconsin.

Speaking of coaching connections, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz helped recruit Leary to N.C. State and served as his offensive coordinator during the quarterback’s first year with the Wolfpack in 2018. Missouri is set to return starter Brady Cook and former Rivals100 member Sam Horn next season. However, Leary would be an upgrade on both and could inject some life into an offense 12th in the SEC averaging 212.75 yards per game through the air this season.