Recruiting Report: Johnny Devore (Mahtomedi-2021)
Dating back to thinking of Zephyr heavy-hitters of the 2010’s like Luke Lindahl, Graham Devore or Lucas Buller, or offensive game-changers like Andy Voyen, Jalen Frye , and Jackson Hull, it is really hard to argue that any of them were as dynamic as Mahtomedi’s 6’5, 210…
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Continue ReadingDating back to thinking of Zephyr heavy-hitters of the 2010’s like Luke Lindahl, Graham Devore or Lucas Buller, or offensive game-changers like Andy Voyen, Jalen Frye , and Jackson Hull, it is really hard to argue that any of them were as dynamic as Mahtomedi’s 6’5, 210 lb. QB1 Johnny Devore. This is high praise, as Devore’s own brother Graham is a old-school two-way type player at the University of North Dakota as an Hback and linebacker, Frye was a First Team All-NSIC pick as a sophomore this past fall, and Voyen is a WR on the North Dakota State Bison football team.
#9With his size, athleticism in the pocket, throwing ability, and rushing skills, I see a player that has the skill set and he athletic enough to play almost any position on the field for a college football program – including QB – and with his older brother’s Graham and Adam providing great lineage and toughness, I think Devore is being under-recruited going into his senior season in 2020. He was kind enough to give Northstar Football News some of his time to talk about beating out two seniors to start at QB for Mahtomedi’s 2019 season, how his brother’s recruitment has impacted his, what he’s looking for in a potential college program, and more! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy. Junior Year
NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Johnny. Please begin by telling our readers a little bit about yourself, when you began playing football & what you like about the sport, and your stats and measurables.
Devore: “My name is Johnny DeVore, and I am from Mahtomedi, Minnesota. I was born in Minnesota and grew up in Oakdale and moved to Mahtomedi when I was 5. I’ve been playing football and baseball and all sorts of other sports since I could walk. I have 2 brothers (Graham-21 and Adam-20) who kept me up to speed. And I have a dad who has surrounded me with sports since I could understand them I played football, baseball, and hockey until I was in 3rd grade and then I switched to basketball and I’ve played those 3 until this year when I stopped playing basketball and focused on football and baseball. I like to hunt and fish and snowmobile and basically do anything outside. I like football because of the adrenaline rush I get from playing it and also the excitement of it. Fall is my favorite season and the excitement of Friday night is always in my mind.
#9I love the practices the games the scrimmages the film sessions everything about it. I am 6’5 205lbs I run a 4.9 40 I can squat 315 and bench 165. I went 59/102 with 1000 yards passing and 4 touchdowns and 8.8 yards per attempt.”
NFN: Nice. What was Mahtomedi’s season like in 2018?
Devore: “In 2018 we had a good year. We won a lot of games and made it to the section final where we lost to Tartan and with that a lot lost a lot of seniors. We only had 3 starters coming back the following year.”
NFN: And how about this past fall? You guys finished on a high note, what happened before that state playoff appearance? What kind of work was put in prior to 2019 ad well?
Devore: “Our season in 2019 was not as we all expected or necessarily wanted. We went 2-6 in the regular season; and that’s the worst a Mahtomedi team has done in some 80 years. We were all devastated and we didn’t get much help from our fans. A lot of people gave up on us around week 4 and we somewhat gave up on ourselves. And then when sections came around with a few tough practices we turned it around and made something special out of what would otherwise be a lost season. The highlight came when we beat the number 4 team in state Tartan to go to the state tournament(we had lost to them 41-14 about a month before that.) And the lowlight was week 4 against St. Thomas Academy when we got shut out at home in what was kind of an embarrassing loss. Personally I had a good season. I was a little shellshocked the first few games being it was my first varsity start and I was a junior who beat out 2 seinors for the job. That was kind of stressful at times. I think we all had high hopes and expectations for what we were able to do and accomplish this year in 2019. We were very inexperienced. All but 3 were starting for the first time. We introduced a new offense at the beginning of the year.
#9We ran the spread until about week 6 and then that tapered off and we started to go back to the “I” formation. We all worked hard in the weight room during the summer and all the skills players did 7 on 7 against a a few other teams during the summer. Along with that we had QB/WR practices every Monday to get some routed down and then also whenever I could the receivers and I would go to our turf and throw routes.”
NFN: That’s quite a lot of obstacles to overcome. You guys have some good momentum going into 2020, though. What do you like about the Maht program?
Devore: “The Mahtomedi program is great! We always have nice facilities and also the fan support is usually off the charts and we also just have a reputation for having good sports programs and that’s why it was so surprising that we didn’t do so hot this past year.”
NFN: Tell us a little bit about having Graham go through the recruitment process, end up at UND, and how that factors into your own recruitment? Has it helped you navigate yours better? And does playing with him again at UND intrigue you?
Devore: “Having Graham go through the whole process was a big help. I actually got to sit in the head coaches office along with my parents and graham when he was offered. Just the insight he brought and the advice he gave me has really helped me along the way to make it easy and fun. The best advice he gave me was “to just relax and let it happen”. I actually never got to play with Graham I was in 8th grade when he graduated but I’ve always wanted to play a sport with one of my brothers and I think that would be really cool if I was able to at UND. It’s been a great school for him and I’m sure I would fit in great if I got the opportunity.”
NFN: My bad! I thought you guys played together. Now if you could, get into some details about the 2019 season, the regular season, that run at sections, and eventually meeting the 5A state champions Chaska?
Devore: “Our first 8 games we played Park of Cottage Grove, Hill Murray, St. Thomas Academy, South St. Paul, North St. Paul, Tartan, Apple Valley, and Simley in that order. They did not go so well. We went 2 and 6 only beating Hill Murray and North St. Paul. We had some close games and some where it could have gone either way if we would have done this that or the other thing. One game that is memorable is the South St. Paul game because it was week 4 and it was hot. We played well all game but couldn’t stick it out at the end. Again though we fumbled on the 2 yard line earlier in the game. In overtime I threw a pass to Bjorn Sather – one of my receivers – and it could have been called either way, but unfortunately for us they didn’t call it in our favor as a touchdown and so we kicked a field goal & South St. Paul got the ball back and scored a touchdown to win it. That was probably my best game that year in the regular season. If that throw would have been called a touchdown I would have had 2 touchdowns that game and about 200 yards another big game was St. Thomas Academy which we got beaten down on and lost 35-0.
#9
I went down with a concussion at the beginning of the last regular season game of the year and was out the first 2 games of sections and came back for the section final against Tartan. Without a doubt the coolest sports experience of my life. I had 2 touchdowns and 160 yards that game and I felt like I was on top of the world. We were not supposed to beat them and when we did it was unbelievable! We hit em in the mouth quick when we scored on the first drive and after that just kept rolling and never took the foot off the gas. At one point we ran the hook and ladder that they were not expecting and had not seen and got about 40 yards out of it for a big big play. Our defense played as well as they could have. Tartan had some weapons on offense and our guys shut them down for the most part. Offensively we were unstoppable they game. We made good clean blocks that set up holes and I always had a nice clean pocket to throw in. The hours after the game I was on a win high and was just in shock and I think a lot of us were too! I remember every second of it so if you would like more details let me know. In the days following the Tartan game we all got either a mullet or a mohawk. That was really fun! The Chaska game was a tough one. They were just a good football team and I don’t think we were mentally ready. They were bigger faster and stronger than anyone we had seen so far that year and we just weren’t ready for that. It was sad to see the season go but I think a lot of us were able to hold our heads high knowing we did the unthinkable with our record. We went to state! I could definitely see us playing them in the future and they are always going to be tough but we will be up to the challenge this time.”
NFN: Well said, Johnny! Thanks for the insight. With a deep group of seniors coming back in 2020, what are y’all expecting from the season?
Devore: “We will have a very experienced team next season! All the guys who have been playing together since grade school and we will have a lot of chemistry as well! The backfield will have good chemistry too because of me and my running back Jordan Hull played well together this year. We will work hard this class is good at that we can dial in and work our asses off for the betterment of the team. I think we all really came together freshman year and the bond has just kept growing.
I think the expectations always have to be kept high and I believe we have a good enough team that they should be! I think the biggest thing will be just believing that we belong in the state tournament and believing that we belong in the mix with some of the best teams in the state.”
NFN: I like it! So last but not least, what’s up with recruiting? Who have you been talking to? Who are you interested in? And what are you looking for in a college? Also, what can you bring to a college program?
Devore: “I have been busy going to lots of junior days and also lots of camps over the summer. I have been talking to SDSU USD Iowa and UND. I have also been contacted by a few other D1 schools and also a number of D2 and D3 schools. I have gone to junior days for SDSU and USD and I will be going to UND and Iowa soon for a junior day. The recruiting process is a lot of fun if you can make it fun. If you can put the stress level aside and just focus on the fun part of it. That is something I have struggled with a little bit in the past but I feel I have it figured out and I’m having a blast with it now. Every summer I go to around 5-7 camps around the country. Last year I went to UND, NDSU, SDSU, Iowa, and Northwestern. I’d say the biggest thing I’m looking for in a college is a combination of a few things. A solid head coach,a solid talkative QB coach and a big enough town to have things to do but not so big that it feels like I’m in the middle of a city.
I think I can add a lot of leadership and good positive attitude to a football program. I have a strong arm and good accuracy. I also am very vocal and like to announce things and I’m very extroverted and I’m also a really determined hard worker. I’ll do anything to get something done that’s on my mind.“
Keep your eyes and ears open for Devore and the senior-heavy Zephyr’s in 2020. They have the talent and the chip on their shoulder to make some noise in class 5A.