New Jersey Football Star released and facing uncertain NFL future

For High School Football players, the dream is to play in the National Football League. Even though only a small percentage achieve that goal, it's a major reason why so many go on to play College Football.

While New Jersey Athletes have a better chance at playing Professional Sports than 68 percent of the United States, only a small number of Quarterbacks from The Garden State have gotten to opportunity to play in the NFL.

A graduate of Timber Creek Regional High School, Devin Leary set New Jersey career records for passing yards (9,672), and passing touchdowns (117).  Also, Leary set the single-season state records for passing yards (3,688), and touchdowns in a season (48) during his Junior Year.

A highly-rated High School Recruit, Devin Leary would attend North Carolina State. During his four seasons, he compiled 62 Touchdowns and 6,807 Passing Yards. But in an effort to improve his NFL Draft stock, he transferred to the University of Kentucky for his final season of college football.

Leary didn't get the major NFL Draft stock boost that previous Kentucky Wildcats QB Will Leivs benefited from. The New Jersey High School Quarterback had the second most Touchdown Passes (25) but also the most Interceptions (12) in the Southeastern Conference in 2023.

Leary's Football Journey Lands Him With Unexpected Team

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, Devin Leary's football future was uncertain. The combination of his one season playing at Kentucky, combined with his workouts for NFL Scouts had not boosted his draft stock as much as he had hoped.

On Day Three of the 2024 NFL Draft, Leary was selected in the Sixth Round by the Baltimore Ravens. A team with a Franchise Quarterback (Lamar Jackson) and an Offensive Coordinator who use to coach at the University of Georgia (Todd Monkin), Leary seemed to land with a team where he could find a role.

But for the second straight year, Devin Leary has been a casualty of the NFL's 53-man roster August deadline. Last season, the Ravens brought Leary back as part of the Practice Squad, a move that many NFL teams do to keep players they want as part of the organization.

Why 2025 Is Different For Devin Leary

In both 2024 and 2025, Leary was waived by the Ravens ahead of the initial 53-man roster deadline. Baltimore would designate him as the emergency third Quarterback for game days while keeping him on the practice squad last season.

The 2025 Preseason and Training Camp presented an opportunity to maintain his role as one of the Ravens' backups for two-time NFL MVP Award Award-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.

But Leary was underwhelming in his Preseason games and didn't do enough at Training Camp to prove to the organization that he should be kept ahead of the 53-man roster cuts deadline on Tuesday, August 27th at 4 pm EST.

Less than 12 hours after Leary was waived by the Ravens, Baltimore decided to bring back former Backup QB Tyler Huntley. The former Ravens Quarterback started nine games from 2021-2023 and will be joining their Practice Squad.

The NFL announced on Wednesday the Waiver Claims list, and Devin Leary was unclaimed, making him free to sign with any NFL team's main roster or practice squad. If Leary cannot find a new NFL team to join, his options to continue his professional football career could include the Canadian Football League or the United Football League, which plays in the Spring.

As mentioned earlier, a small group of New Jersey High School Graduates have played games at Quarterback in the NFL, a list that Devin Leary hopes to join.