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The Kentucky Wildcats began their 2023 campaign by securing a massive 44-14 win against the Ball State Cardinals. They had a 7-6 record last season, and long-term Wildcats coach Mark Stoops will be looking forward to his team emerging victorious once again as they go against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Week 2.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels did not have a great start to the 2023 season. They were humiliated by the Cincinnati Bearcats, who defeated them with a thunderous 66-13 scoreline.
Now fourth-year coach Walt Wells has a massive task at hand. If they want to avoid a repetition of their season opener, then his team will have to shrug the defeat off their shoulders and focus on the task at hand.
During Kentucky's game against Ball State, Devin Leary was named as the Kentucky starting QB in Week 1. For the past two years, Will Levis was the Kentucky starting QB. But after his departure in the NFL draft this year, the team brought in Leary from NC State in the transfer portal this year.
However, in his debut game against Ball State, Leary had a slow start to his Kentucky stint. While the team managed to pull off a huge win, Leary did not have many game-changing moments to his name against Ball State.
His first game ended with his racking up 241 passing yards and just one passing TD.
Despite this, he is going to be the starting QB heading into their Week 2 contest against Eastern Kentucky. This will be another chance for Devin Leary to showcase the talents that he possesses, after rehabilitating from last season's injury.
The Colonels might not be a formidable opponent for the Wildcats. Thus, they have a chance to go 2-0 in their 2023 campaign.
Kentucky starting QB: Exploring the options between Devin Leary, Kaiya Sharon and Deuce Hogan
Leary has quite the experience playing for NC State since 2018. After redshirting his first season, he went on to be a backup QB for two years. His 2020 season was cut short after suffering from a broken fibula.
He earned the starting QB job in 2021 and went on to record 3,433 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns.
Last year, Devin Leary's season ended when he succumbed to a pectoral muscle injury, following which he joined the Kentucky Wildcats.
He was then named as the Kentucky starting QB heading into the 2023 season given the experience that he carries on the field.
While Leary acts as the Kentucky starting QB, Kaiya Sheron will be the backup option for the team. Sheron has prior experience playing as a backup to Will Levis. Last season, given the short amount of time he got on the field, Sheron recorded 187 passing yards and two passing TDs.
Thus, he will be expected to step up if Leary cannot find his peak performance. Apart from them, Deuce Hogan is also in the mix as QB3 after transferring from Iowa in 2022.
The Kentucky Wildcats play Eastern Kentucky on September 9. The game is scheduled to kick off at 3 P.M. ET.
