Noel Devine is headed back to West Virginia where he was a star running back, earning Second-Team All-Big East in 2008 and First-Team All-Big East in 2009 before being enshrined in the WVU Sports Hall of Fame (2011).
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports that Devine will reunite with head coach Rich Rodriguez as an offensive analyst.
West Virginia is hiring former Mountaineers star running back Noel Devine as an offensive analyst, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Devine racked up 5,025 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns during his playing career at West Virginia. (@MikeAsti11 1st). pic.twitter.com/oxVLbrOWd3
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 3, 2025
“Blessing to be in this position (and) a prayer that’s been answered for sure!” Devine wrote on X. “(L)ooking forward to learning and working hard to helping build the culture and tradition coach Rod Instilled in me and former players at WVU.”
Rodriguez, whose first stint in Morgantown spanned from 2001 through 2007, heavily recruited Devine for several years but the duo ended up spending only a single season together (2007). He left to take the Michigan head coaching job in 2008, ultimately finding his way back to West Virginia this past December.
During their lone season together, Devine rushed for 627 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 8.6 yards per carry.
After his time at WVU, Devine made a brief stop with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He also spent time playing in the CFL for both the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos, and returned to the game again in 2019 as a member of the West Virginia Roughriders of the Arena Pro Football league.
It seems almost fitting that both Rodriguez and Devine have come full circle.
