Tommy DeVito

Early life

Born in Livingston, New Jersey, DeVito grew up in nearby Cedar Grove and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School. He was named first team All-State by MSG and second team All-Metro after passing for 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns in his junior season as the Ironmen went 9–3 and won the Non-Public 4 state championship. Following his junior year, DeVito competed in the Elite 11 quarterback competition and was named a finalist. As a senior, he passed for 2,005 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions and played in the Under Armour All-American Game. DeVito committed to play college football at Syracuse at the end of his junior year.

2018 season

DeVito redshirted his true freshman season. He served mostly as the backup to starting quarterback Eric Dungey as a redshirt freshman, playing in eight games off the bench and completing 44 of 87 passes for 525 yards and four touchdowns. DeVito's first significant action came on September 15, 2018, against the Florida State Seminoles, entering the game after Dungey suffered an injury and completing 11 of 16 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a touchdown as the Orange won 30–7. DeVito again played in relief of an injured Dungey on October 10 against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and he led Syracuse to a 40–37 win in double overtime, throwing for 181 yards with three touchdowns and one interception on 11-for-19 passing.

2019 season

As a redshirt sophomore, DeVito passed for 2,360 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He passed for a career-high 330 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in a 63–20 loss to the Maryland Terrapins.

2020 season

In 2020, DeVito completed 48-of-96 pass attempts for 593 yards and four touchdowns through the first four games of the season before suffering a season-ending leg injury against Duke.

2021 season

Entering his fifth year at Syracuse, all with Babers as head coach, DeVito was compared to a franchise quarterback for Syracuse with the two having an intimate and trusting relationship. DeVito began his redshirt senior season as Syracuse's starter, but coach Dino Babers also planned to give meaningful playing time to Garrett Shrader, a dual-threat quarterback who had transferred in from Mississippi State University.

DeVito played most of the season opener against the Ohio Bobcats, a 29-9 win, completing 11 of 17 passes for 92 yards and added 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The following week, Syracuse lost the home opener against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 17–7, with DeVito completing 15 of 25 passing attempts for 149 yards and one interception, five sacks, and one fumble, in split time with Shrader. DeVito mentioned in a postgame interview he knew Babers planned to play both quarterbacks during the game. Babers also told the media both quarterbacks would play in the third game against the Albany Great Danes; and that he planned to make a final decision on the starter based on that game. DeVito was defiant in a press conference before the Albany game, responding, "I've done exactly what I've needed to" when asked if he thought he had earned the starting spot, while also describing how defenses had caught onto the run-pass option (RPO) offense Syracuse was running, and thus it had become a more difficult system to run in the years since Jimmy Garoppolo ran the offense for Babers at Eastern Illinois University to great success.

DeVito entered the NCAA transfer portal six weeks into the season.

Illinois

DeVito ultimately transferred to Illinois. He was named the Fighting Illini's starting quarterback during fall practices. On October 1, against the Wisconsin Badgers, DeVito had three rushing touchdowns in the 34–10 victory. In the 2022 season, DeVito passed for 2,650 yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions to go along with six rushing touchdowns. DeVito sought a waiver for an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA to play another season at Illinois, but was denied.

Personal life

Due to the proximity of his parents’ home to the Giants' facilities, DeVito elected to live with them during his rookie season. DeVito's rise to fame led to several advertising deals including a Super Bowl commercial, allowing him to move out before the 2024 season. He starred in a commercial for Progressive Insurance that debuted in the fall of 2025.

He has a younger brother Max, who played wide receiver at Salve Regina University.