If you were around for the late 2000s, you remember the feeling. You’d sit down, maybe with a laptop that burned your thighs, and open a grainy YouTube video titled something like "Noel Devine: The Human Joystick." It wasn't just football. It was art. Honestly, it was a glitch in the matrix.
Noel Devine at West Virginia was more than a stat line. He was a cultural moment for Morgantown. People talk about the "Golden Era" of Mountaineer football, and while Pat White and Steve Slaton laid the foundation, Devine was the lightning bolt that kept the stadium shaking. He stood maybe 5-foot-8 on a good day, but he played like he was the only person on the field who knew the physics of the game were optional.
Most players have a highlight reel. Noel Devine had a filmography that made defenders look like they were wearing roller skates on an oil slick.
The Florida Legend Before the West Virginia Gold
Before he ever stepped foot in Milan Puskar Stadium, Devine was a mythological figure. Seriously. If you grew up in Florida or followed recruiting back then, you knew the North Fort Myers story. He had a highlight tape from high school that literally went viral before "going viral" was a formalized marketing term. It was raw. It was just a kid outrunning entire defenses, stopping on a dime, and making three people miss in a phone booth.
Deion Sanders saw it. "Prime Time" himself took an interest in Devine’s life, which was complicated, to say the least. Devine dealt with immense personal tragedy and a chaotic upbringing, but on the field, he was pure, uncut speed. When he chose West Virginia University, it felt like the perfect marriage. Rich Rodriguez’s spread option was built for a guy who could find a seam before it even opened.
It's kinda wild to think about now, but WVU beat out basically every powerhouse in the country for him. He wasn't just a recruit; he was a savior-in-waiting.
That First Season: Entering the Slaton-White Orbit
2007 was a weird, beautiful, and ultimately heartbreaking year for West Virginia. You had Pat White and Steve Slaton—arguably the best backfield duo in Big East history—and then you add this freshman who looks like he’s moving at 1.5x speed.
Devine didn't need 25 carries a game to make an impact. He’d get six touches and somehow end up with 100 yards. I still think about the Maryland game that year. He went for 136 yards on just five carries. Read that again. Five carries. He was averaging 27 yards every time he touched the ball. It wasn't fair.
When Slaton left for the NFL, the keys were handed over to Noel. This is where the story gets nuanced. A lot of people expected him to just keep that 10-yards-per-carry average forever, but life as a "feature back" is a different beast entirely. You’re taking hits from 300-pound defensive tackles every Saturday. Your knees start to scream. But even as the primary target for every defensive coordinator in the Big East, Devine remained a nightmare.
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The Stats That Defined a Mountaineer Icon
Let’s look at the actual production, because sometimes the "human joystick" nickname overshadows the fact that he was incredibly productive.
- Career Rushing Yards: 4,315
- Touchdowns: 29 rushing, plus a few through the air.
- All-Purpose Yards: Over 5,000.
He’s sitting there at No. 3 on the all-time rushing list for WVU. Only Amos Zereoue and Pat White have more. Think about the names he’s ahead of—Steve Slaton, Quincy Wilson, Avon Cobourne. That’s Mountaineer royalty.
What made Noel Devine at West Virginia so specifically lethal was his balance. People talk about his speed, sure, but his "contact balance" was legendary. He’d get hit, his hand would touch the grass, he’d pivot, and suddenly he was ten yards downfield. It was like he had a low center of gravity that defied the laws of momentum.
The Bill Stewart Years and Changing Schemes
When Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan, things shifted. Bill Stewart took over. The offense changed. The vibe changed. But Devine stayed loyal. That’s something WVU fans still respect him for. He could have jumped ship or followed Rodriguez to a "bigger" brand, but he stayed in Morgantown.
Under Stewart, Devine became a workhorse. In 2008 and 2009, he put up back-to-back seasons of 1,200+ yards. He was the focal point. Defenses would stack eight men in the box, basically daring the Mountaineers to throw, just so they could try to stop No. 7. They usually couldn't.
Why Didn't the NFL Happen?
This is the question everyone asks. "If he was so good, why wasn't he a star on Sundays?"
Honestly, it’s a mix of timing, size, and style. The NFL in 2011 wasn't quite ready for the "space players" we see today. If Noel Devine were coming out of college in 2026, he’d be a projected weapon in the mold of a Jahmyr Gibbs or a De'Von Achane. But back then, scouts were still obsessed with "prototypical size." At 5-foot-8 and maybe 180 pounds, they worried he couldn't take the pounding.
He went undrafted. He had a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, but it didn't stick. He played in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos and briefly in the Fall Experimental Football League.
It’s easy to look at his lack of an NFL career and think he was "overhyped." But that’s a lazy take. College football isn't just a minor league for the NFL; it’s its own universe. In the universe of West Virginia football, Noel Devine was a titan. You don’t get to be third on the all-time rushing list by accident.
The Legacy of the Human Joystick
Devine’s impact is actually seen in how teams recruit now. Every coach is looking for that "jitterbug" back who can play in the slot, return kicks, and take a handoff. He was the prototype for the modern explosive playmaker.
Beyond the turf, Devine has become a bit of a mentor. He’s been open about his journey—the highs of being the top recruit in the country and the lows of seeing the NFL dream slip away. He’s worked with youth athletes, passing on the footwork drills that made him famous.
If you go to a game in Morgantown today, you’ll still see No. 7 jerseys. They aren't all new, either. They’re the old, faded ones from 2009, worn by people who remember exactly where they were when Devine broke that 70-yarder against Auburn or made the entire Pitt defense look like they were standing still in the backyard.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Fans and Historians
If you want to truly appreciate what Noel Devine did for West Virginia, you have to look past the box scores.
- Watch the 2007-2009 Archives: Don't just watch the highlights. Watch a full game. Notice how the entire defensive alignment shifts the moment he motions into the backfield. That's gravity.
- Appreciate the "Small Back" Evolution: Use Devine as a case study for why the NFL scouting process has changed. Compare his college tape to current NFL stars of similar stature. It highlights how much the pro game has moved toward his style of play.
- Respect the Loyalty: In an era of the Transfer Portal, remember that Devine stayed through a coaching change that could have derailed his career. He chose the fans and the school over the "flashy" move.
Noel Devine remains a reminder that sometimes, the most exciting player on the field isn't the one with the biggest contract later on—it's the one who makes you jump out of your seat every time he touches the ball. He was West Virginia's greatest "what if" and its greatest "did you see that?" all rolled into one. He didn't just play for the Mountaineers; he gave them a pulse during a transition that could have been much darker without his star power.
Keep that 2007 highlight reel bookmarked. Whenever football feels a little too corporate or predictable, pull it up. It’s a 4-minute reminder of why we fell in love with the game in the first place. High-speed, high-stakes, and completely untouchable. That was Noel Devine. That was Morgantown magic.
Next Steps for Deep-Diving Mountaineer History:
Check out the 2008 Fiesta Bowl footage to see how that backfield functioned without its head coach, and look into the statistical comparison between Devine and Steve Slaton to see how their running styles differed despite playing in the same system.