Football recruiting: Timber Creek sophomore quarterback Donovan Leary is impressive but says there is room for improvement

Timber Creek quarterback Donovan Leary wants to get better by eliminating mistakes and learning from any bad plays he makes. Already an accomplished passer, the sophomore wants to up his mental game, too.

With such lofty goals to go along with his already impressive achievements, it’s no surprise that Leary already has drawn recruiting interest from some of the top local colleges.

“It is truly a blessing that colleges are coming and taking an interest in me,” Leary said.

According to Timber Creek head coach Rob Hinson, Leary has already accumulated six verbal offers, from Rutgers, Temple, Massachusetts, Central Michigan, East Carolina and Maryland. Hinson is confident that the list will grow as long as Leary continues to put up big numbers.

“There are going to be a lot more schools jumping on board,” Hinson said. “He’s shown that he is not phased at all."

Through six games the 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback has 1,797 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. Though Leary only has three interceptions on the season, they are his main point of emphasis as he prepares to eventually play Division I football.

“I have to eliminate the bad plays,” Leary said. “Just getting on different reads, getting off of the covered guy and finding the open guy. It is the mental part of the game that I can work on a lot.”

Leary hasn’t yet narrowed his list of potential schools, but he said that once he is settled in with whichever program he chooses he’s confident he has the ability to succeed at the next level.

“I have a lot of confidence in every throw I make,” Leary said. “Any time a coach calls a play, I can make that throw. I can make a throw on the line, on the run, deep ball, short pass, anything. Even though I’m a sophomore and have only been in the system one year, anything the coaches need, I can do it.”

It seems confidence and success run in the Leary family. Leary’s older brother, Devin, was one of the most decorated quarterbacks in southern New Jersey history, winning two state championships at Timber Creek before heading off to play for North Carolina State.