Devin McCourty

McCourty's sensational senior season certainly grabbed the attention of scouts. He's now primed to grab the national attention that has mysteriously eluded him since arriving on campus as a 175-pound freshman. The statistical table does not really show the true measure of McCourty's importance or value to the Scarlet Knights' success. Since taking over as a starter as a sophomore, the defensive back has more than lived up to the challenge of shutting down his main pass coverage assignments. Always known for his punt- and kick-coverage ability, he added a wrinkle to his game, proving to be one of the more electrifying kickoff returners in the nation, evident by his average of 27.91 yards per attempt. In the last 38 contests, Rutgers has allowed the opposition to complete 572-of-1,038 passes (55.11 percent) for 7,144 yards, 36 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. Against McCourty, the Scarlet Knights opponents attempted 249 throws, completing just 88 (35.34 percent) for 684 yards and only two scores, an average of 7.77 yards per pass completion. He has allowed just 2.75 yards per pass attempt, the lowest figure of any active player in the Big East Conference. While those figures are very impressive, they do not tell the entire story of this shutdown cornerback's ability. Against his main pass coverage assignments, McCourty has held those receivers to only 42 receptions for 386 yards on 158 passes targeted into his area, meaning that quarterbacks have completed just 26.58 percent of those tosses and their intended targets were limited to 9.19 yards per pass completion and 2.44 yards per attempt. Those same receivers averaged 33.84 catches for 430.05 yards (12.71 yards per catch) and 2.47 touchdowns per season vs. other cornerbacks they faced. Devin has proven to be an excellent press coverage defender, as his excellent field vision has seen him make plays on the ball 45.39 percent of the time outside his area, coming to the aid after a teammate had blown an assignment. He has jammed/rerouted those pass catchers away from 148 incomplete attempts (average of 3.84 per game), the most of any cornerback in the Division I ranks during that span. While developing his shutdown cornerback skills, McCourty is not only a top-notch coverage defender, but has also excelled playing inside the box. He made 91 of his 236 tackles in run support (38.56 percent) and has proven to be a drive-killer, as he registered an incredible 94 third-down stops and 33 more on fourth-down action (38.60 percent of his plays made resulted in killing the opposition's series). In addition, McCourty has drawn comparisons to former Buffalo Bills standout Steve Tasker for his outstanding performance on special teams. He recorded 23 tackles for the punt coverage unit and 27 for the kickoff coverage squad. He has also blocked six punts and one field goal, as six of those blocks set up Rutgers scoring drives. Four more turnovers generated by the defensive back (three interceptions, one fumble recovery) have also led to Scarlet Knights touchdown drives. He also took over kickoff return duties as a senior, averaging 25.43 yards on 14 returns that included a 98-yard touchdown, third-longest in school annals. At Saint Joseph's High School, McCourty was an All-League first-team defensive back in each of his final two seasons. He added All-Bergen County honors from The Record as a senior, leading the team to an 11-1 record and a 42-8 victory over Pope John High in the Parochial Group III final at Rutgers Stadium, returning to the team after he missed the first two games of the season with a hip flexor injury. McCourty earned a total of three varsity letters, competing as a free safety as a sophomore and cornerback as a junior and senior. He also saw action on offense as a slot back. In his last year with the team, he recorded 50 tackles with three interceptions. Some of his senior season highlights included intercepting the first pass of the game vs. Paramus Catholic 43 yards for a touchdown, coming up with seven receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown vs. Bergen Catholic and posting 16 tackles and one interception vs. Don Bosco. After his senior campaign, McCourty was one of nine Rutgers recruits to play in the 2005 New York/New Jersey Governor's Bowl at Rutgers Stadium. He also lettered in basketball, starting at point guard for a team that compiled a 26-2 during his senior season. "Devin has great versatility in that he can play several different positions -- shutdown corner, free safety as a run support guy, offensively as a slot back," said Saint Joseph's head football coach Tony Karcich. "He is like a coach on the field with his outstanding knowledge and ability to make adjustments." The McCourty twins registered at Rutgers in 2004, with Devin spending that season on the scout team. In 2006, he played behind Ron Girault at strong safety, as the 180-pound defensive back placed tenth on the team and led the Scarlet Knights reserves with 38 tackles (23 solos). He recovered a fumble, broke up three passes and intercepted two others, returning his first career pass theft 38 yards for a touchdown. He also collected 15 tackles on the special teams coverage units, including 11 for the kickoff squad. McCourty took over weak-side cornerback duties in 2007, with his brother, Jason, starting at the other cornerback slot. Devin finished sixth on the team with a career-high 63 tackles (40 solos), recovering two fumbles while causing another. He blocked three kicks that Rutgers recovered, leading to three scoring drives. He delivered 10 special teams tackles and had two more interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, as he earned Big East Conference academic honors for the second consecutive season. McCourty's hard-hitting ability saw opposing offenses try to steer clear of his territory in 2008. He still ranked fifth on the team with 57 tackles (37 solo), as he recovered a pair of fumbles, broke up seven passes and picked off another, as two of his forced turnovers set up Rutgers scoring drives. He also registered 13 hits on special teams, while limiting opposing receivers to an average of 3.61 yards per pass attempt. The senior defensive standout led the Scarlet Knights during the regular season with 78 tackles (48 solos), but an eye injury on the first series of the St. Petersburg Bowl prevented him from becoming first cornerback in school annals to lead the team in tackles for a season and the first major college cornerback to accomplish that feat since Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997. He finished with a total of 80 tackles and also made 9.5 stops for loss, broke up 10 passes and intercepted another while blocking three punts. However, it was his leadership skills that shined through during the team's 9-4 record in 2009. Safety Joe Lefeged learned the value of preparation from McCourty. "He could diagnose plays before they even started, based on what the offensive lines was doing or how the receivers were lining up," Lefeged said. "He was calling out plays before they even happened on the field." "Devin gets us together at night to watch film after meetings, and that really helps in practice," Lefeged said. The defensive captain, who's staked his claim as the Big East Conference's top cornerback in 2009, also draws high praise from head coach Greg Schiano. "I think he prepares incredibly hard, and I am talking one of the top five I have been around, either college or pro," Schiano said. "He works very hard at it and practices very hard. Every day he goes out there, he is playing a football game in practice. So then it is no mystery that when he gets in the games, he makes plays."