Devine played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and holds the record for career-all purpose yardage (5,761 yards).

Devine was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2011, but was released four days later after departing the team due to personal matters.

Devine, the highest rated recruit in Mountaineer football history, was inducted into the West Virginia University (WVU) Sports Hall of Fame on October 30, 2021.

[5][6] On October 20, 2006, Noel became the all-time leader in rushing yards for Lee County, surpassing former Mariner High School student and Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham.

Coincidentally, it was Graham's alma mater against which Devine was playing when the record was broken - he scored on a 65-yard touchdown run late in the 3rd quarter.

[7] In the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game, he amazingly took David Green's kickoff back 88 yards before catching his big right toe on the turf and falling just short of the end zone.

[citation needed] Devine was the #3 ranked running back[8] (and #6 prospect overall[9]) in the nation by ESPN's 2007 Recruit Tracker.

In the second game of the season, Devine helped the WVU seal a 4th quarter victory over in-state rival Marshall.

Devine only had 5 carries, but managed to rack up 76 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the third-ranked Mountaineers beat the Thundering Herd 48–23.

After the 38–31 Louisville win, rumors circulated that Devine was mad about lack of playing time and had supposedly "torn up his locker" in a fit of anger.

In the Big East Championship-clinching 66–21 win over twentieth-ranked Connecticut, Devine rushed for 118 yards and a score on 11 carries, which ranked second-best on the team, trailing only quarterback Pat White.

After losing Steve Slaton to a leg injury in the first quarter, Devine filled in for WVU with 105 yards on 12 carries and 2 touchdowns, including a 65-yard run which provided the final score of the game.

[13] After former head coach Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia and announced his decision to accept the head coaching job at the University of Michigan, Noel Devine considered transferring, but decided he would finish his career at West Virginia.

[14] On January 14, 2008, West Virginia starting running back Steve Slaton announced his desire to enter the NFL Draft instead of returning for his senior season.

My goal is to just let him run fast and do the things he does so well.” Devine also commented that he could handle at least 30 carries a game as the feature back, despite his size; which he said he wanted to jump up to 180 pounds.

[17] Head coach Bill Stewart also said that Devine maxed out at 405 pounds at the bench press during the spring.

[19] Devine's performance in the Syracuse win won him the Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors.

[20] Following the 188-yard performance against Syracuse, Devine totaled a career-high 207 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the Mountaineers' 34–17 victory over Auburn.

In the Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over North Carolina, Devine rushed 13 times for 61 yards and a touchdown.

On January 14, 2010, Devine announced his intention to forgo the NFL draft and returned for his senior season with the Mountaineers.

[23] Prior to the season, Devine was named a preseason All-American by numerous publications, and was considered a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.

These injuries, combined with his lack of size and a perceived unwillingness to block, labeled him "undraftable" by many NFL teams.

Despite Devine's high-profile coming out of high school and subsequent successful college career, he was projected as a late-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft.

In a telephone interview with the Montreal Gazette on August 9, interim head coach and general manager Jim Popp suggested Devine may be released by the team, when and if he is cleared to play by the medical staff.

Sanders revealed the nature of his mentor role in Devine's decisions in his column for The News-Press, a Fort Myers news outlet.

Devine was a nominee for the 2008 edition, along with Brandon Roy, Joba Chamberlain, Tyson Gay, Patrick Willis, and Novak Djokovic.