RALEIGH – As the Richmond Senior High School Raider football team officially gears up for the start of its season Monday, a former standout Raider linebacker is making headlines at Shaw University in Raleigh.
Devon Hunt, who is a Hamlet native, was named to the 2018 All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s preseason football team. It was the second time in two years that the rising junior criminal justice major earned the preseason honor.
Hunt played for Richmond all four years while he attended, and was an incremental part of the varsity team in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, when he was a junior and senior, respectively. During his time at the varsity level, with one season under Paul Hoggard, and the other under Mike Castellano, Hunt recorded 217 total tackles.
His best season was his senior season in 2015, when he racked up 154 total tackles, making 96 solo tackles and assisted 58 more times, all of which were team highs. He also added 20 tackles for loss (a team high) and recorded eight sacks (second only to Khalil Stancil’s 10).
And while a Shaw Bear, Hunt has seen his success continue on the gridiron.
As a sophomore last season, Hunt and the Bears went 3-7 overall, but Hunt headlined the defense by leading the team in total tackles with 90. Of those, 59 were solo and 31 were assists, and both led the team. In the 10 games played, Hunt also recorded a team-leading nine tackles per game, while also tallying 8.5 tackles for loss (second best on the team) and two sacks (tied for third best on the team).
“It feels good (to be named to the preseason team), and it means a lot to me,” Hunt said during a sit-down interview with ROSports. “It shows that I’m working like I’m supposed to and not slacking — going in, I didn’t want to be a slug. I wanted to be the top dog and knew I had work to get there.
“This is just a perk of being a football player,” he added. “I don’t really think about making these teams. But it’s nice when your coaches tell you what you earned. I’m always focused on the next game and what I can do to get better.”
Prior to the start of last season, Hunt was also named to the All-CIAA Preseason Football Team, as his freshman season numbers were good enough to land him on the roster as the only Shaw player on both sides of the ball. In his first season at the collegiate level in 2016, Hunt led all CIAA freshmen with 89 total tackles, and added four sacks.
But the on-the-field accolades don’t stop there for the former Richmond star linebacker.
During his freshman campaign in 2016, Hunt was awarded the title of the CIAA’s “Defensive Rookie of the Year,” as well as ““Rookie of the Week” twice. He finished the year by being named “Linebacker of the Week” and was named CIAA second-team all-conference.
Joining him on the 2018 Preseason Football Team is fellow Bear linebacker Jaleel Scroggins. A sophomore, Scroggins paired with Hunt to form a dynamic defensive duo against Shaw’s opponents. As a freshman, Scroggins tallied 70 total tackles (53 solo, 17 assists), which was second on the team only to Hunt. He did lead the Bears in tackles for loss (13.5) and matched Hunt’s two sacks.
Working toward graduating in the spring of 2020, Hunt would like to pursue a career as a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, working specifically with the human behavior analysis unit. On a full-ride scholarship, Hunt has been hard at work this summer between balancing a summer job and team workouts.
“It’s like family there, and I really like that it’s a small school,” Hunt commented. “Everyone knows each other and everyone is treated like they’re at home.
“I’ve also been working out with team every day of the week, whether it’s fieldwork, cones, or 1-on-1 with the receivers. I’m doing whatever I can to make my craft better.”
With Shaw starting its season on Sept. 1 against non-conference opponent Hampton University, the Bears are projected to finish in eighth place out of 12 teams, and fourth out of six teams in the Southern Division. Last season, Shaw finished with a 1-4 record against Southern Division opponents, placing it in fifth.
But Hunt doesn’t get hung up on the past and is already looking to do better and be better this season.
“My goal is to just to do better than what I did last year,” he stated plainly. “I want my minimum number of tackles be 100. And I want to win our side of the conference and win a national championship. It’s good playing there because there are a lot coaches who can relate to us, and know how to get serious.
“I’d like to thank my parents, Donald and Jennifer Paul, for their support, as well as Rocky Norton,” he concluded. “My coaches have helped make me get better, and a big thanks the Lord above for allowing me the ability to play football.”
