Football notebook: Shawnee basketball and baseball star Dylan Deveney leaning toward third sport
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound athlete played football for the first time since third grade this past season, and has intrigued college coaches.
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Dylan Deveney is a basketball star who had offers to play Division I baseball.
He's leaning toward a future in football.
The Shawnee senior tried football for the first time since third grade this past season. He joined the Renegades in October and was a bit of a revelation for the South Jersey Group 4 champions, according to coach Tim Gushue.
"He was really great," Gushue said of Deveney. "He was a sponge."
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Deveney caught five passes for 81 yards. But his size, athletic ability and potential to improve has intrigued college coaches.
Deveney, a three-year starter and four-year varsity player in basketball, has made football visits to Rutgers and Fordham. He was invited to join the Rutgers program as a preferred walk-on but said he is likely to spend a postgraduate year at a prep school before making a college decision.
Gushue believes Deveney, whose father George was a tight end at Temple, can develop into a Division I football player. A top student, Deveney could end up at an Ivy League or Patriot League school, Gushue indicated.
Deveney was surprised how much he enjoyed football. He played for a few years as a youth but gave up the sport to focus on baseball and basketball.
Deveney has been a top basketball and baseball player for Shawnee. He was a first-team All-South Jersey selection as a junior in basketball after leading the Renegades to a 29-3 record and the South Jersey Group 4 title.
This basketball season, Deveney has scored in double figures in every game and is averaging 16.9 points as Shawnee has gone 9-2.
Deveney had committed to attend Lafayette on a baseball scholarship as a pitcher but has decided against that.
He played in just eight football games for Shawnee in the fall but embraced the sport.
"It was awesome," Deveney said of football. "I liked it right from the start. It's so different from baseball and basketball. I liked the contact, the grind of it."
Recruiting news
Camden Catholic's Marcus Hillman, a first-team All-South Jersey selection as a linebacker, has picked up an offer from Virginia Military Academy. Hillman, who made 84 tackles including 14 1/2 tackles for loss and 15 sacks, also has drawn recruiting interest from Elon, Maine and Sacred Heart, according to coach Nick Strom. Hillman also was a top running back for the Irish, rushing for 1,419 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Highland running back DaeJuan Sanders has committed to Maine, according to Tartans coach Brian Leary.
Timber Creek lineman Derryk Sellers has offers from Seton Hill, Elizabeth City State (N.C.) and West Virginia Wesleyan, according to Chargers coach Rob Hinson.
Timber Creek linebacker Dallas Newkirk has an offer from Elizabeth City State, wide receiver Jordan Nash has an offer from East Stroudsburg, and wide receiver Michael Johnson and defensive back Tariq Snead have offers from Seton Hill, Hinson said.
King to visit Temple
Woodrow Wilson defensive end Travon King, a first-team All-South Jersey selection, will make an official visit to Temple this weekend, according to Tigers coach Preston Brown. King, who led the Tigers with 15 sacks and also was a top wide receiver with 712 receiving yards, originally committed to Rutgers but declined to sign with the Scarlet Knights in the early signing period in December. King also has visited Tulane.
Woodrow Wilson seniors Jairo Ramos and Hydir Moore have drawn interest from Monmouth and Rhode Island, Brown said.
Leary in Polynesian Bowl
Timber Creek senior quarterback Devin Leary, a two-time All-South Jersey selection, will play in the Polynesian Bowl in Aloha Stadium in Hawaii on Saturday. Leary, a North Carolina State recruit, has been in Hawaii all week participating in practices and other activities related to the national all-star game, according to Chargers coach Rob Hinson. Leary finished his career as the state's all-time leader in career passing yards and career touchdown passes.
This and that
Lenape junior wide receiver Jimmy Ciarlo, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver and transfer from St. Joseph of Montvale, has picked up an offer from Army. … Millville senior wide receiver Carlton Lawrence committed to attend Hutchinson (Kan.) Junior College. … Camden Catholic sophomore linebacker Tirek Austin-Cave has picked up an offer from Rutgers. … Atlantic City senior wide receiver Nazim Derry and Ahmad Jones have picked up offers from Virginia Union. … Woodrow Wilson sophomore defensive end Fadil Diggs has picked up offers from North Carolina and South Carolina. … Junior defensive tackle Divine Young has transferred from Camden Catholic to Highland. … Junior wide receiver Naiem Simmons, who caught four touchdown passes in Cherry Hill West's win over Cherry Hill East on Thanksgiving eve, has transferred to Woodrow Wilson.