West Virginia assistant coach Noel Devine was booked Sunday on a felony strangulation charge, turning what had been a 2-0 start into a jarring off-field story for the Mountaineers.
Jail records show Devine entered North Central Regional Jail at 12:45 p.m., with bond set at $40,000. ESPN reported that he entered a not-guilty plea and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept.
- Authorities have not released a narrative of the alleged incident, and the public file lists only one count of strangulation out of Monongalia County.
CollegeFBPortal first posted the jail photo, along with the blunt caption: “West Virginia RB Coach Noel Devine has been arrested.”
Rich Rodriguez moved quickly after learning of the arrest. “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, 38, was on the sideline Saturday when West Virginia beat UT Martin 52-7. That win moved the Mountaineers to 2-0, but Sunday’s news shifted the focus fast from football to a staff arrest.
Devine joined Rodriguez’s staff in January 2025, when Rodriguez returned to West Virginia. He serves as 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 yardage record at 5,765. Rodriguez coached him during that first run at West Virginia, then brought him back onto the staff years later.
The booking photo is now the image making the rounds: orange jail shirt, the same face that once helped fuel West Virginia’s offense. For now, Devine remains in custody unless bond is posted, and the school has not announced a replacement. The charge remains an allegation, but the leave is already in place.
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