Steve Slaton welcomes competition from incoming, talented running back Devine
MORGANTOWN -- Steve Slaton, West Virginia University's consensus All-America running back, will tell you that highly rated recruit Noel Devine is a "very impressive" performer.
"I've seen him run, and he did a lot more stuff in high school than I ever did," Steve Slaton said last week. "I think Devine could come in and do well this year as a true freshman.
"He's working hard this summer. I think he'll be a big contributor to our team."
Steve Slaton isn't worried about retaining his No. 1 status in his junior season.
"But even if I weren't the starter, I'd work hard to get better," he said. "I hope he is very competitive. He'd make me that much better."
Devine, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound graduate of North Fort Myers High, was a late signee. He waited until he passed the ACT in April before committing to WVU.
As a result, he became eligible to enroll in summer school and play football this fall. He was heavily recruited.
While Steve Slaton has set school and Big East Conference rushing records, Devine is expected to threaten those if he remains a Mountaineer long enough. He leaves behind in Florida some mighty high marks of his own.
His 6,847 rushing yards and 92 touchdowns at North Fort Myers High are Lee County (Fla.) career prep records. He netted 2,148 yards and scored 31 touchdowns in 2006 as a senior.
Having been in Morgantown all summer, Devine has had an early opportunity to start learning Coach Rich Rodriguez's innovative spread offense. It will be interesting to see how quickly he comes along.
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