As a father to three young children and a star running back at West Virginia, Noel Devine understands he's providing an example for the future.
"Little kids look up to us and I want them to pursue their dreams,"
he said.
The sophomore from North Fort Myers, Fla., was back home last month conducting the first 239 Future All-Stars Football Camp with friends and peers.
The Fort Myers area code is 239.
"I wanted to go back home where I know the kids look up to me being at this level and want to be like me,"
he said. "I wanted to show some love."
Devine spearheaded the idea with high school teammate and South Florida cornerback Quenton Washington and had help from other former players from the area.
"It was fun to see little kids with great talent,"
he said.
Devine said the idea came "from my heart"
and that about 100 kids between the ages of 7 and 15 attended. Devine and the other instructors led the campers through drills and then split up into teams for flag football games.
"I think I look at it different,"
he said. "Being a young dad is hard, but I know my kids look up to me. I think other kids look up to me, too. We don't realize sometimes we're a big factor in kids' lives. They want to follow and be like us."
Devine, who rushed for 627 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman, has 3-year-old and eight-month-old daughters and a 2-year-old son.
Senior linebacker Reed Williams continues to progress following two offseason surgeries. Williams had an operation in January to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and then a second procedure in March to fix the same problem in his left shoulder.
Williams said the recovery time is six months for each shoulder. He's nearly finished with the right and a little more than a month away with the left.
"I'm progressing well and everything's going fast,"
he said. "The doctor's pleased with the strength I've built back so far, so things look good."
Williams, the team's top tackler and a preseason candidate for the Lott Trophy awarded to the nation's top defensive player, is concerned about replacing the upper-body strength he lost in rehabilitation. Weight-lifting was limited and he still can't perform any over-the-head activities.
"I'd like to be using HGH, but I think that's illegal in college,"
he said.
Williams remains uncertain whether he'll be ready by the start of the regular season.
"That's the big question. Will I be comfortable strength-wise and not just going in and running around?"
Williams said. "Right now, I'd probably say no. In the months to come, I'd say yes."
Williams played as a true freshman and has a redshirt he could use if he's not fit to play this season. That doesn't seem to be on his agenda, though. He called the idea "horrible" and said watching would be more painful than anything he has experienced thus far.
When he plays is the question.
"That's the thing,"
he said. "It could be a couple games, a couple weeks late. That raises the question about if I'd be willing to miss a couple games if I wanted to play. It's something to think about. There are a couple of ifs to think about right now. Nothing is definite."
