Devlin attended and played college football at Holy Cross College. He was captain of the 1917 squad. Aside from football, he played first base for the school's baseball team. He left Holy Cross before the 1917 season. He returned to college in 1920 to coach for St. Ambrose University. While at St. Ambrose, Devlin led the team to a 4-0-2 record. He also served as the school's basketball coach from 1919-1921.