THOMASVILLE — Yellow Jacket corner Devin Ross has committed to Northern Illinois University. After a visit this past weekend, Ross returned to South Georgia wanting to be a Husky and quickly committed to play college football with NIU. Though Ross had received many offers from mid-level schools and FCS programs, NIU was his first division one offer. Now, yet another Thomas County Central player will be playing D1 football.

Ross is a two year starter at corner for the Yellow Jackets and has played well this season, recording two interceptions and twelve total tackles through seven games. Head coach Justin Rogers says that Ross’ size is what makes him so valuable as a corner.

“They’re getting a long corner. Getting a corner that’s got some height to him. I think that’s really what makes him the most marketable,” Rogers said. “He’s very athletic, very fast and like I said, a 6’1 frame, that’s a tall corner. Everybody wants those bigger corners now. Receivers are getting so big that playing with a short corner is much more difficult than it used to be.”

But, it’s not just his height or his athletic prowess that makes Ross so valuable to a program like NIU; it’s his ability as a teammate and commitment to the game of football that Rogers praised most.

“He’s just a great teammate. He’s always going to be on time, he’s always going to work hard, he’s always going to do things right,” said Rogers. “He’s going to do those little things that you want your younger players to see. The way that he practices, the way that he prepares, the way that he goes about his business. I mean, he’s just a model of what we want built in our program with his intangibles.”

At time of writing, NIU is fourth in the MAC west with a record of 3-4. They currently sit on a two game win streak with big wins over Akron and Ohio, but their biggest win of the season came in week one when they handed Boston College a three point loss in an overtime thriller.

NIU has a history of being a solid program. They have made nine bowl games since 2010 and have had 14 players drafted into the NFL since 2001, with two of those draftees going in the first round.