On the August 16th edition of Kentucky Sports Radio, Matt Jones brought on special guest Freddie Maggard to discuss the quarterback situation at UK. Considering that he is a former Kentucky quarterback and was the Director of Player Development under Stoops for a season, his comments do carry some weight.

Best QB of the Mark Stoops Era?

To open their discussion, Maggard talked about how good Devin Leary can be compared to other QBs in the Mark Stoops era.

“Two years ago, you asked Kash Daniel and I who was the best Mark Stoops quarterback. We both said Terry Wilson, even though Will Levis was on campus. I can now change that to Devin Leary. [Devin Leary] will be the best quarterback that Stoops will have coached at Kentucky.”

Maggard went on to justify why he thinks Leary could be better than Levis was at UK, saying, “Devin Leary is more experienced as a starting quarterback. Will Levis was not when he got here. Leary has thrown 64 touchdowns compared to 16 interceptions. Levis threw 43 touchdowns to 23 interceptions.”

He added, “So, I see Devin Leary as more of a processor in the pocket. He is more experienced as a pure pocket quarterback, and I think that’s what Liam Coen wants to see. Operation in the pocket, that experience, break down a defense, and distribute the football to some exciting pass catchers, especially Barion Brown and Dane Key.”

Why Leary Can Be A Top-Tier SEC QB

Matt Jones asked Maggard if he agreed with the sentiment that Levis is a better runner and ‘deep ball thrower’, and that Leary is a better short-yardage passer with better accuracy.

Maggard responded, “I do, but I also give Leary more credit for the deep ball than others do because of timing. Matt, you go on campus or on the football facility, there’s 50 guys that can throw the football 50 yards. That’s not hard to do, especially if you do it your whole life. I think Leary, with the timing of those deep balls, will be just as good as Will.”

Part of why Maggard thinks Leary can be so successful at Kentucky is because of the talented receiving core around him.

“You got three receivers back (Barion Brown, Dane Key, and Tayvion Robinson). That’s over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. You have the tight ends. Jordan Dingle has not practiced yet, but if you include him in that group, that’s 37 catches and four touchdowns. That’s everything you need.”

Maggard also talked about how the depth in the backfield will benefit Leary.

“You don’t have Chris Rodriguez, you don’t have a Benny Snell, but you got the best collection of running backs that Stoops has had.”

So, if Leary has the potential to be the best QB in the Stoops era, where exactly could he be ranked compared to the other QBs in the SEC this season? Here’s what Maggard thinks:

“There’s gonna be quarterbacks that throw more yards, more touchdowns, and more accolades because of scheme and system. As far as efficiency of what I would look for in a quarterback, I wouldn’t take any signal caller in the conference over Devin Leary.”

Devin Leary has a lot of potential to be great this season. He has the chance to be one of the UK all-time greats, according to Freddie Maggard. Considering Kentucky went 10-3 in 2021 with Will Levis taking snaps, one has to wonder how good Kentucky football can be this fall, thanks in part to the NC State transfer.