LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky senior quarterback Devin Leary is already making a name for himself with UK after being named to the watch list for this year’s Maxwell Award.

The Maxwell award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell, who was a former standout at Swarthmore College.

Leary, a native of Sicklerville, New Jersey, transferred to Kentucky in January after four seasons at NC State. He completed 558 of 944 passes for 62 touchdowns and his 6,807 career passing yards ranks sixth on NC State’s career list. His 60.2% completion mark ranks fourth. Leary was 17-9 overall as a starter.

In 2022, he led NC State to 5-1 record and a top-15 ranking in the national polls before suffering a season-ending injury. Prior to that, he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year and was one of 25 semifinalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Leary graduated in Dec. 2022 with a degree in sport management and is currently working on an undergraduate certificate in business from UK.

The Wildcats picked up Leary from the transfer portal after starting quarterback Will Levis announced his plans to enter the NFL Draft. Leary will have big cleats to fill after Levis, who was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the second round, and the Cats will look to build on their luck with experienced transfer quarterbacks. Levis was a two-year starter at Kentucky, leading the team to a 17-7 record during his tenure. Overall, he completed 418 of 636 (65.7%) passes for 43 touchdowns, and racked up 11 rushing touchdowns as a Wildcat.

Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced Nov. 13, 2023. UK begins their 2023 campaign on Sept. 2 in Kroger Field against Ball State.