Two of a Kind
August 22, 2007 09:26 AM | General
August 22, 2007
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| Noel Devine | Jock Sanders |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – By now everyone has heard about the remarkable high school football career of Noel Devine, who ran for an astounding 6,842 yards and 93 touchdowns during his career at North Fort Myers (Fla.) High School.
The 5-foot-8-inch, 170-pound speedster starred in the U.S. Army All-American game and was considered by some to be the best high school running back in the country last year. Devine’s YouTube videos are already the stuff of legend. They feature his blazing speed and tremendous cut-back ability, while showing balance that bares a striking resemblance to Barry Sanders.
“Like a lot of great backs he has the ability to make people miss and be able to get through a small space and make positive yards,” Rodriguez said of Devine. “He’s not a big guy but he’s a pretty explosive runner.”
The soft-spoken Devine is leery of the enormous attention he’s received wanting simply to just blend in with the rest of the freshmen. And he doesn’t spend much of his time watching all those highlight videos that others have posted of him on web sites.
“I just try to stay levelheaded,” he said. “I’m just trying to do better things here.”
Devine delayed his college decision a full month after signing day. The extra time gave him the opportunity to clear his head and follow his heart.
“I fell in love with the program,” Devine said. “The nice people, the nice facilities … it was a place I thought I could better myself the most.”
As much as Devine has been talked about, he’s not the only talented freshman runner in Coach Rich Rodriguez’s backfield. Jock Sanders is equally gifted and is competing neck and neck with Devine to grab playing time as Steve Slaton’s backup.
“There are some talented guys,” Rodriguez said. “I think that freshman class is one of the most athletic we’ve signed.”
Sanders didn’t have as many stars as Devine coming out of St. Petersburg Catholic School, but his credentials are almost as impressive. The 5-8, 185-pound multi-purpose athlete had an outstanding high school career in his own right, rushing for 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior and 1,200 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. He earned all-area honors three times while also lettering in basketball.
“He’s a kid in high school who played a little bit of everything,” said Rodriguez. “They’re both little guys – you’d have a hard time seeing them over this podium – but they run hard and they’re learning pretty quickly.”
Sanders’ versatility makes him a valuable commodity in West Virginia’s spread offense. He played quarterback, running back, wide receiver and safety in high school. Like Devine, Sanders is an electrifying runner that makes defenders miss with sharp cuts and excellent stop-and-start moves.
The fact that Sanders can also return kicks and punts gives Rodriguez yet another deadly weapon in his growing arsenal of offensive playmakers.
With both players coming from Florida, Sanders admits that he has heard a lot about his counterpart.
“Everybody was like, ‘You know Devine is going there.’ I just approached it like Devine was going to make me better and I’m going to try to make him better,” Sanders said. “That’s what a team is all about.”
Sanders, who admits the biggest difference for him between high school and college is the speed of the defenses, says that he is embracing the notion of staying under the radar as he competes with Devine.
“I feel a little bit like the underdog but we work together as a team so it’s a good deal,” Sanders said. “Don’t get me wrong, we compete hard against each other every day but we support each other and help each other out.”
Sanders and Devine have fully bought into Rich Rodriguez’s Mountaineer team concept in their battle for playing time. They also realize that both of them will see the field on Sept. 1, regardless of who wins the number two running back job.
“You’ve got to be patient and stay humble,” Devine said.
“We both came in here to work hard,” Sanders said. “The coaches are going to have to make a big decision but regardless of whom the second back is we are both going to play hard. We will both have our opportunities.”
Opportunities that Mountaineer fans hope will be fruitful for both Noel Devine and Jock Sanders in 2007.
