Proximity draws Council Rock North’s Devon Bibbens to Lehigh

NEWTOWN – When you are an athletic speedster on the gridiron with good hands, collegiate football programs come courting your services.

Just ask Council Rock North senior Devon Bibbens. With Delaware State, Colgate, Lehigh and Lafayette in pursuit of Bibbens’ services at the next level, Devon decided he wanted to play for the Mountain Hawks.

Ultimately, distance was a big factor in the senior’s college choice. With a four-and-a-half hour drive to Hamilton New York, Colgate definitely wouldn’t do.

“I wanted to stay local so I think Colgate was one of the schools that was last,” explained Bibbens, a 6-foot, 180-pound wide receiver from New Hope. “When it came down to making a decision, Lehigh was the best fit.”

“I didn’t think (distance) was going to be much of a deciding factor but it’s always nice to say you have your family near you and that you can always see your family whenever you want.”

Bethlehem is only an hour away from New Hope so the Hawks have been given the nod.

Lehigh head coach Andy Coen is happy to have Devon on board.

“It’s good to get a local player in Devon Bibbens from Council Rock North,” Coen said. “He played with one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country. Devon was his No. 1 target and he will fit very nicely with the rest of our wide receivers.

With two additional receivers – Dylan Connolly (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) and Greg Gamble (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) – committing to Lehigh this year, Coen likes where Bibbens lines up in his offense.

“(Devon) can play in the slot or as an X or a Z receiver. The other two receivers, Dylan Connolly and Greg Gamble, are slot type of guys; very athletic with great feet. They will fit in well with what we do offensively.”

A favorite target of former Indians quarterback Brandon McIlwain, who has already departed for South Carolina, Bibbens accounted for 603 yards receiving on 55 catches while hauling in seven touchdown aerials in 2015. His 1,200-plus career receiving yards helped the Indians to District 1 Class AAAA Tournament berths the last three seasons.

His performance last fall also helped Rock North to a 6-1 league record (7-4 overall) and the Suburban One League (SOL) Continental Conference championship. For the Indians, it was their first SOL football title since 2006.

During his stay on Swamp Road, CR North head coach Adam Collachi liked the improvement he saw in Bibbens, who committed in January and signed his National Letter of Intent on Feb. 3.

“He really improved each of his years on varsity and I thought this year, he really did a yeoman’s work,” the coach stated.

“He played a lot of defense – more than we anticipated at the beginning of the year – and did a great job returning kicks for us as well.

“All around, it was his best year. He became more of a presence in all three phases of the game.

“You like to see kids grow and mature each year and you can certainly say that about Devon.”

Bibbens thinks he’ll fit in well with Mountain Hawks quarterback Nick Shafnisky and the spread offense he operates out of at Lehigh. A duel-threat signal-caller like McIlwain, Shafnisky, a 6-1, 201-pound junior from Whitehall, registered 10 TDs passing and 12 rushing, carrying the rock to paydirt in three games (Penn, Bucknell, Holy Cross) in 2015.

In the biggest game of the season last year for the Hawks, Shafnisky completed 23 of 36 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns in an eventual loss to Colgate. He also rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries but it wasn’t enough as the Raiders captured the Patriot League’s only FCS Tournament berth.

Bibbens says that Lehigh was this close to going to the FCS dance.

“They had a chance to win the Patriot League last year and they lost on a goal line stop,” said Bibbens. “If they won that (Colgate) game, they would have won the league.”

So Bibbens has high hopes for the Hawks’ future, another reason he is headed to Bethlehem.

“I know next year they have a lot (of players) coming back,” he said. “Offensively and defensively – all around – there’s a lot of people coming back.

“They’re a young team so I think they’re coming up.”

Last year, Lehigh recruited 31 new players to its lineup. Bibbens is impressed with some of the youngsters that took the field last season for the Mountain Hawks.

One is freshman quarterback Brad Mayes, who guided Lehigh to a pair of late season wins over Georgetown and Holy Cross. Mayes completed 75 percent of his passes in the win over the Hoyas; he hit for 81 percent of them in the victory over the Crusaders.

“Their offense is something you can definitely achieve in as a receiver,” said Bibbens. “It’s the perfect place to set me up for success.”

Academics also played a part in Devon’s decision. He said he knows he won’t play football forever so he likes the solid educational foundation he’ll get at Lehigh.

For now, it’s nice knowing he’ll have four more years on the gridiron. What’s more, if any Council Rock fans want to see him play at the next level, Goodman Stadium – home of the Mountain Hawks – is only an hour away.

NOTES: During his stay at CR North, Bibbens also lettered in baseball, helping the Indians capture a 2015 District 1 Class AAAA championship. His teammate in baseball, pitcher/shortstop Matt Hand, is also headed to Lehigh.

Contact the author at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter