West Virginia assistant Noel Devine was booked Sunday on a felony strangulation charge, turning a weekend that had already produced one viral moment into a much more serious storyline for the Mountaineers.
CollegeFBPortal posted the jail photo first, with the blunt caption: “West Virginia RB Coach Noel Devine has been arrested.” The post also said, “NEW: West Virginia RB Coach Noel Devine has been arrested.Devine has been booked and charged with strangulation 😳 pic.twitter.com/0pqjWvhdGd”
Devine is 38. Jail records show he entered North Central Regional Jail at 12:45 p.m., and bond is set at $40,000.
ESPN reported that he entered a not-guilty plea and has a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 23.
Authorities have not released a narrative of the alleged incident. The charge is one count of strangulation out of Monongalia County.
Rich Rodriguez moved quickly after the arrest became public. “Upon receiving information of the arrest, I have immediately and indefinitely put Noel Devine on leave from the Mountaineer football coaching staff,” he said. “Any future decision on his status will be determined after more information becomes available.”
Devine was on the sideline Saturday when West Virginia beat UT Martin 52-7 to improve to 2-0. The Blue Lot brawl was the viral clip from that afternoon, but Sunday’s news shifted the focus sharply away from the field and onto the staff.
Devine joined Rodriguez’s staff in January 2025 when Rodriguez returned. His role is assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst. He is also in the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.
As a player, Devine rushed for 4,317 yards from 2007 to 2010, which ranks third in school history. He still holds the school’s all-purpose record at 5,765 yards. Rodriguez coached him the first time around, then hired him back.
The booking photo is now the image circulating most widely: an orange jail shirt and the same face that once made plays at Milan Puskar. West Virginia now heads into a Big 12 slate with its running backs room missing an analyst, and the school has not announced a replacement.
For now, Devine remains in custody unless that $40,000 bond is posted. The charge is still an allegation, but the leave is not.
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