updated 6:05 p.m. ET Sept. 25, 2007

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Before Noel Devine became a YouTube sensation, he lost both his parents to AIDS, witnessed a friend’s murder, rejected Deion Sanders’ attempts to adopt him and became a father of two.

His years of bouncing from home to home, which included a brief stop at Sanders’ Texas ranch, eventually landed the former Florida prep star at West Virginia, where four games into his college career Devine has proved worthy of the hype that followed him out of high school.

In a way, Devine’s journey comes full circle Friday night, 120 miles from where he grew up, when No. 5 West Virginia (4-0) will play at No. 18 South Florida (3-0) in a key Big East matchup.

“Look where he is now. It’s a success, in my eyes,” said James Iandoli, Devine’s coach at North Fort Myers High. “I don’t wish the path that he had to take on my worst enemy.

“I guess the old saying is, what doesn’t kill you only makes you better. And I believe he’s becoming a wonderful young man.”

The attention of being a highly touted football recruit can be head-spinning to a 19-year-old, but it’s not much compared to what Devine has been through outside of football. A past that the polite, shy Devine prefers not to talk about.

His father died when he was an infant and his mother was gone before he was 12. His maternal grandmother became his legal guardian, but he thought she was too strict and he moved in with the family of an ex-teammate.

As a teenager, Devine fathered two children with different mothers. He saw a 15-year-old classmate shot in December 2004 during a confrontation with a rival group. School officials brought the incident to the attention of Sanders, a 1985 graduate of North Fort Myers.

Sanders got to know Devine and brought him to training camp with the Baltimore Ravens in 2005. Devine then went to Sanders’ ranch in Prosper, Texas, with the intent of starting over.

“We wanted to give him guidance and structure, something not afforded him at the time,” Sanders said in a recent telephone interview. “We just felt that at that point in his life he needed a tremendous amount of structure and discipline.”

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With the approval of Devine’s grandmother, Sanders intended to adopt Devine. But the teen quickly returned to Florida, leaving one of Sanders’ sport utility vehicles at the curb at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, the engine still running.

“It devastated our family,” said Sanders, who has remained in contact with Devine. “To get your family on board isn’t easy. We made concessions ... it was tough. You can’t allow someone into your home without allowing them into your heart.”

Devine, whose ability to change directions with little loss of speed has drawn comparisons to another Sanders — Barry — finished out his career where it started.

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Recruited since he was a high school freshman, Devine’s video clips made him an Internet prodigy, and a must-see for football fans on YouTube. He compiled 2,148 rushing yards and 31 TDs as a senior at North Fort Myers.

He also found trouble. A school confrontation prompted a two-game suspension and a locker room incident forced Devine to miss a postseason all-star game.

“He’s no different than any other high school football player I’ve ever had,” Iandoli said. “The only difference is he was in the limelight. He’s national news and everyone wants to put it all over the paper. Everyone wants to pass judgment.”

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said his only worry after getting to know Devine was about his grades.

“The school had a plan for him and he was very determined to make it. So we hung in there with him,” he said.

Pushed by Iandoli and others, Devine avoided prep school by qualifying for NCAA eligibility on his third attempt at taking the ACT. He then set aside overtures from Bobby Bowden at Florida State and other schools and ended up in Morgantown, a decision Sanders let Devine make on his own.

“I didn’t want to entice him. He would blame you for the rest of his life,” Sanders said. “If it doesn’t go well, he can’t fault anyone but himself.”

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