ROCKINGHAM — Devon Hunt and Daryus Skinner, two former Richmond Senior High School football players, have a lot of eyes on them as they begin their respective senior seasons of college ball.
Hunt, who is a linebacker at Shaw University, and Skinner, a safety for Winston-Salem State University, are both coming off career years as juniors, but are looking to cap their playing careers with a punch.
The two were teammates as seniors during the 2015 Richmond season, and both went on to play collegiate football in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Even though the 2019 season hasn’t officially started, both Hunt and Skinner have already earned numerous pre-season honors.
As a junior, Hunt broke Shaw’s all-time tackles record, recording his then 197th career tackle against Mars Hill University on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. He surpassed Torrance Nunnelly, who had held the program record since 2006. Hunt now sits at 277 tackles ahead of his senior season.
He also was named the 2018 CIAA “Defensive Player of the Year,” while leading the Bears and the CIAA in tackles with 98. Hunt was also one of 52 players nominated for the “Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List.”
Skinner’s line was equally as impressive at WSSU, having led the nation across all divisions of football with 11 interceptions in just nine games. His breakout year landed him as the Hero Sports D2 “Defensive Player of the Year,” as well as a first-team selection to the Don Hansen D2 All-America team.
Skinner racked up 30 total tackles as a junior and added two pass breakups in the Rams’ secondary.
In 2019, both Hunt and Skinner were named to the All-CIAA Pre-season First-Team, making it the third time Hunt has earned the honor (junior and sophomore seasons). It marked the first time for Skinner.
The pair of former Raiders were also both chosen to this year’s “Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List.” Hunt has also seen his name put on the Carolina Gridiron All-NCCFB First-Team and BOXTOROW Top 5 Player Watch List.
“It means a lot to me to be named to all of these pre-season lists,” Hunt said. “It’s showing that my hard work is being noticed. The accolades are nice, but I don’t think about them too much. But I do want to win the (Black College Football Player of the Year) Watch List since I didn’t get it last year.
“They all motivate me because a lot of people are watching, so I have to play hard, get better and not make any mistakes,” he added.
The Shaw Bears are in the midst of their fall camp, which Hunt said has been going well for him and the team. He stayed in Raleigh over the summer to put in some extra work with his teammates and said fans should expect “a big year” from the Bears.
“I’m just going to keep making tackles, keep working hard and do what I have to do to help the team,” Hunt said. “The team has made a big improvement from my freshman year, and hopefully we can get better as the season goes along.”
For Skinner, he’s set to patrol the secondary and keep opposing quarterbacks guessing, and was also named a pre-season All-American. He explained that he and Hunt’s relationship goes back to their younger playing days, and is excited to see how they both do in their final college season.
“I love that Devon and I have made these teams because we both came from the same school,” Skinner said. “We’ve both been on the same mission, and we’ve known each other a long time. It’s cool we’re both at the top dominating the division.
“It feels great to be recognized, but I’m trying to stay humble,” he added.
Like Hunt, Skinner has spent the past couple of weeks in fall camp getting ready to tackle the 2019 season. He’s been working on some individual needs, but is putting the Rams’ success first.
“Camp has been going pretty good,” Skinner shared. “I’ve been working on some things about myself I can improve on and help the team out. I’ve got to still make plays, and want to be more consistent.
“This year I just want to get as many picks as I can,” he closed. “But I want to get in on more plays, strip the ball, make more tackles and stand out in every aspect on the field.”
Hunt and Skinner will face each other one last time on Saturday, Nov. 2, when Winston-Salem State hosts Shaw at 1:30 p.m.
