UConn running back Devontae Houston's toughness inspiring team

Nov. 9—STORRS — UConn running back Devontae Houston has often had to wear a red, non-contact jersey in practice as a precaution while he's battled through shoulder and ankle injuries this season.

But when linebacker Jackson Mitchell entered the Shenkman Training Center at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, he watched as Houston rejected the red jersey the Huskies' equipment staff tried to hand to him.

"I heard him say to himself, 'I don't wear this.' So he wanted the blue jersey because he wants to be on the field," Mitchell said after practice Tuesday. "He's a warrior, he's a fighter, he's gonna be out there anytime he can."

That toughness is what defines Houston, a 5-foot-10 sophomore from Roanoke, Alabama. He knew it would have to from an early age due to his small stature.

"Wearing the red makes me sad, for real," Houston said. "I just feel like, 'dang, I can't get hit?' My teammates are out there hitting, and I can't get hit. It just makes me feel sad."

Houston's love of the game began the day he was born, when he wouldn't stop crying until his father put a football in his arms. Once he had the ball in his hands, his tears stopped immediately.

He started playing tackle football at four years old when his parents agreed to sign a waiver stating that the recreation department running the youth league would not be held responsible for any injury he sustained.

"I started playing way before I was supposed to start playing," Houston said.

Four-year-old Houston's knee pads were at his ankles, and his helmet was oversized. His first jersey number was 74 and he played right guard on the offensive line.

When Houston was seven years old, he began running sprints in his yard while his grandfather sat nearby with a stopwatch.

"He was like, '(you're) gonna have to be the fastest and the toughest because (you're) not gonna get any bigger,'" Houston said Tuesday. "At seven I'm like, 'What do you mean I'm not gonna get any bigger? I'm definitely gonna get bigger than I am.' But I just didn't really get any bigger."

He played varsity baseball one summer, but the first time he stepped into the batter's box, he watched three pitches sail past him, right down the middle and walked back to the bench having struck out.

"I didn't even swing," Houston said with a smile. "Baseball just wasn't for me."

He also competed in track and played basketball. He was a defensive point guard on the hardwood that "was gonna give you 10 (points), I was gonna give you like three charges a game. I was gonna take the best defender out of the game," Houston said.

When Houston began to receive recruiting interest in football, he quickly realized his grandfather was right.

He had to be the fastest and the toughest player on the field to catch the attention of college coaches — and even then, most of the schools that recruited him wanted him to play defensive back or slot receiver.

Except UConn, which recruited him as a running back.

Houston appeared in nine games as a freshman in 2021, mostly on special teams. He used his speed as a return man and also made six tackles.

Houston impressed coach Jim Mora in preseason camp with his speed and when starter Nate Carter and backup Brian Brewton were both sidelined for the season with injuries, he became the Huskies' feature back. He suffered a shoulder injury earlier in the season, but played through it. Then he suffered a high ankle sprain against FIU and missed two games.

But, through it all, whenever he was asked about his injury status, his response was always the same — "I'm good."

Houston was on a limited snap count in the Huskies' game against UMass but took his first carry 75 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Mora spent the rest of the game imploring the strength staff to let him stay on the field.

"I said, 'that one doesn't count. He didn't have to cut and no one touched him — that one doesn't have to count, right?" Mora recalled.

Houston surpassed Carter as the team's leading rusher in the UMass game. He has racked up 434 yards and three touchdowns on 59 carries this season.

"It's awesome," Mora said with a smile. "People that are questioning whether or not they can play or if they have a little pain — they just felt, shoot there's this guy that's 5-8, 165, taking massive hits, has had a bad shoulder, has a bad ankle and he's out there practicing and he's out there running the ball during the game, getting smashed. And he just keeps getting up and going again. I think as a team, that when you have a guy like that, that you take pride in him and being his teammate and it helps the overall kind of pride of your team."

Rosa named to Hornung Award honor roll

True freshman Victor Rosa was recognized on Tuesday, earning a spot on the Week 10 Paul Hornung Award honor roll after his performance on Saturday against UMass.

Rosa, the Gatorade Connecticut player of the year as a senior at Bristol Central ran for 87 yards and a pair of second half touchdowns and tied his season-high in carries with 17 in the Huskies' 27-10 victory over UMass on Saturday.

Rosa has run for 387 yards on a team-high 102 carries and leads UConn with six touchdowns.

The Hornung Award is given annually to the "most versatile player in major college football" by the Louisville Sports Commission

The Louisville Sports Commission created the award in 2010 to honor its namesake, Paul Hornung, who won four NFL Championships and played for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I.

A panel of college football experts selects players for the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll based on performance each week in the regular season.

For daily updates on high school sports in JI's coverage area, follow Kyle Maher on Twitter: @KyleBMaher, Facebook: Kyle Maher, and Instagram: @KyleBMaher.