WVU Assistant Coach Noel Devine Arrested on Felony Strangulation Charge

West Virginia University assistant football coach Noel Devine, a former Mountaineers running back, was arrested on Sunday, September 13, 2026, in Morgantown, West Virginia, and charged with one felony count of strangulation, according to jail records from the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and multiple local outlets, including WDTV. Devine, 38, was booked into the North Central Regional Jail at 12:45 p.m. and released after bond was set at $40,000.

WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez responded within hours of the arrest becoming public, announcing that Devine had been removed from all team duties pending the outcome of the case. “Upon receiving information of the arrest, I have immediately and indefinitely put Noel Devine on leave from the Mountaineer football coaching staff,” Rodriguez said in a statement carried by WDTV. “Any future decision on his status will be determined after more information becomes available.”

What the Criminal Complaint Alleges

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by WDTV, a woman approached Morgantown police officers on High Street on Saturday, September 12, to report a domestic assault while those officers were separately assisting emergency medical services with an unrelated overdose call. The complaint led to Devine’s arrest the following afternoon on one count of strangulation, suffocation, or attempting to impede breathing or blood circulation, a felony under West Virginia law. Court records reviewed by the Associated Press, republished via WV News, confirmed Devine entered a not guilty plea and that his bond was set at $40,000, though the AP report noted that publicly available court records did not detail the full narrative behind the arrest.

The arrest happened less than 24 hours after West Virginia’s football team beat UT Martin 52-7 to open the season 1-0, turning what had been a triumphant weekend in Morgantown into what Yardbarker described as “an uncomfortable waiting game for Big 12 fans.” Devine had been serving as the Mountaineers’ assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst, a role he took up at his alma mater in January 2025.

No additional statement beyond Rodriguez’s has been issued by the West Virginia University athletic department as of publication. The case remains in its early stages, and no trial date has been set. Devine has not been convicted of any crime, and the charge against him is, at this stage, an accusation that will be tested in court.

Who Is Noel Devine? A WVU Running Back Legend

Devine’s arrest carries added weight in Morgantown because of his standing as one of the most productive running backs in West Virginia football history. A native of North Fort Myers, Florida, Devine started for three seasons at WVU between 2007 and 2010, according to his official West Virginia University Athletics coaching biography. Over that span he amassed 4,315 rushing yards and 5,761 career all-purpose yards, added 98 receptions for 710 receiving yards, and scored 29 rushing touchdowns for 186 points.

The university’s bio credits Devine with 19 career 100-yard rushing games, a first-team All-Big East selection, and a place as WVU’s all-time leader in running back receptions. He ranks third on the program’s all-time rushing list and fourth in Big East Conference history for rushing yards. Devine appeared in four bowl games during his playing career — the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl, and the 2010 Gator and Champs Sports Bowls — and was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, given annually to college football’s most outstanding player.

Source: West Virginia University Athletics official coaching biography.

Devine’s Return to Morgantown as a Coach

Rodriguez announced on January 5, 2025, that Devine would rejoin the program as an offensive analyst and assistant running backs coach, describing the move as a homecoming for a player who had struggled with personal issues after his playing career ended. “Noel knows how I run my program, and more importantly, he wants to give back to the university and the program that gave him so much,” Rodriguez said at the time, according to West Virginia University Athletics’ official announcement.

Devine spoke publicly about the significance of that return in comments carried by On3 earlier this year, crediting Rodriguez with helping him through a difficult period. “Coach Rod is going to be Coach Rod for sure,” Devine said, reflecting on the coach’s role in bringing him back into the program.

Program Fallout and What Comes Next

Rodriguez’s decision to place Devine on immediate and indefinite leave signals that West Virginia is treating the allegation seriously while the legal process plays out. The coach’s statement stopped short of any final personnel decision, saying only that “any future decision on his status will be determined after more information becomes available.” That leaves open the possibility of further disciplinary action, reinstatement, or termination depending on how the case develops in court.

The arrest has drawn national college football media attention largely because of Devine’s profile as a program legend, with outlets including the Associated Press, Yardbarker, and Sports Illustrated affiliate sites picking up the story within a day of the booking. It has not yet had a confirmed effect on West Virginia’s coaching staff structure beyond Devine’s leave, and the Mountaineers have not commented on any changes to running backs coaching duties ahead of their next game.

The case will next proceed through West Virginia’s court system following Devine’s not guilty plea. As with any pending criminal matter, the specific evidence behind the complaint has not been made public in full, and the outcome will depend on court proceedings still to come.

How We Know: Sourcing Behind This Report

The arrest and bond details in this report come directly from West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation jail records as cited by WDTV and the Associated Press. Rich Rodriguez’s statement was released directly by the WVU football program and reported verbatim by WDTV. Noel Devine’s career statistics come from his official West Virginia University Athletics coaching biography page, and his hiring details come from the university’s own January 2025 announcement. No figures, quotes, or claims in this article have been estimated or inferred beyond what these named sources reported.

What This Report Does Not Cover

The full sworn criminal complaint has not been made public in complete form, and this report does not include details beyond what WDTV and the Associated Press have verified. No trial date had been set as of publication, and West Virginia University’s athletic department had not issued a statement beyond Rodriguez’s comments. This is a developing story, and further details may emerge as the case proceeds through the courts.

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Sources

• WDTV — wdtv.com
• AP Wire | wvnews.com — wvnews.com
• WVU assistant coach Noel Devine arrested on felony … — wtae.com
• West Virginia assistant Devine arrested on strangulation … — espn.com
• Report: WVU coach, former North star Noel Devine strangled woman outside bar — news-press.com

Photo: User:Red Deadeye, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons