- December 4, 2025
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The past year has pushed Devin Mignery to his limits.
His belief has been questioned. His commitment, contested. His trust, tried.
Challenges as never before have entered the senior quarterback’s life. And none of them have to do with solving an opposing defense.
“I actually think it’s been a very big blessing,” Mignery said.
Cardinal Mooney football’s star under center played the 2024 Class 2A state semifinal without an MCL in his right knee. Last spring, he tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder, and wasn’t able to use his right arm for three months.
Mignery has been out of the starting role through Week 5 of this season. Since the fourth game of his sophomore campaign, he had only known the spotlight, leading the Cougars to the 1S state title in 2023.
He’s largely watched from the sidelines as the offense has operated with his backup in the backfield. But as of Sept. 22, he's available to play, per coach Jared Clark.
“It definitely gives you a lot of perspective,” Mignery said. “If you go from being the guy who everything runs through you, and now you get to watch some of it … it’s been a rough year.”
Over on the West Coast — one day after Cardinal Mooney moved to 3-1 behind junior Davin Davidson — Sept. 13 proved to be a day for celebration. Mignery committed to Stanford, accepting an offer on the spot from general manager Andrew Luck during a game-day visit.
His decision required no complex calculus. As soon as he stepped on the Palo Alto campus, Mignery was blown away by what surrounded him.
The academics. The aesthetics. And the opportunity to play Division I football in the Atlantic Coast Conference — home to Florida State and Miami, among other prestigious programs.
“(My visit) was fantastic. Obviously, it’s Stanford University first, so it’s the best education in the world, which you can’t pass up,” Mignery said. “And then it’s a football program that’s up and coming. Andrew Luck has got it going in the right direction, and I think they’re going to do some special things there.”
The Lakewood Ranch resident’s sample size as a senior is small at 109 rushing yards, one touchdown and two pass attempts, but as a junior, he was one of the premier quarterbacks in Florida.
A dual-threat quarterback, Mignery racked up 1,637 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air, as well as 1,199 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Cardinal Mooney went 12-0 until falling in the Final Four against eventual 2A state champion Cocoa.
That career-best campaign earned him an All-State First Team selection from Florida HS Football.
“He just does all the little things that you want a leader to do. He’s also one of the most competitive guys I’ve been around,” Clark said. “We’ve got — luckily — a bunch of competitive guys on this team, but Devin is one of those guys that when the game is on the line, he wants the ball in his hands.”
A dramatic turnaround has transpired for the Cougars since Mignery entered the equation.
Back in 2022, the squad went 4-7 and failed to record a victory in the 1S state tournament. He completed four passes and four carries for 61 yards combined across limited varsity action as a freshman.
The following year proved to be something else. En route to the second state championship appearance in program history, Mignery passed for 1,303 yards and 12 touchdowns to complement 896 and 10, respectively, in the run game.
As a first-year starter, he helped Cardinal Mooney secure its first ring in 51 years.
“We’ve completely flipped it around and now have some of the best athletes in the country at every position, so I think that in itself has been huge,” Mignery said. “I get to go out and practice and work with not only my best friends, but the best players in the country every single day, which makes me a better player.”
If that trophy-lifting triumph was a high, these injury-riddled months have been a low. The time he yearns to spend on the turf has been taken away by not one, but two, rehab processes.
But the prolonged struggle has also allowed Mignery to shine in a different light – not as a performer, but as a supporter. He’s embraced whatever the Cougars’ staff has asked of him.
Clark has seen his share of injury-prompted dilemmas. In his eyes, it took two unique guys to prevent this quarterback change from cascading into something negative.
“I don’t know many 18-year-olds that could handle a situation like this the way Devin has. Him and Davin are great young men,” Clark said. “They’re friends, and they’re great teammates, and they root each other on. If the two of them didn’t handle it the right way, it could be something that could be the destruction of the team.”
Regardless of how 2025 plays out for Mignery, there are accomplishments to his name that several of his predecessors never even touched.
Last year’s undefeated regular season — under his guidance — was the program’s first since 1976. That state title run he too played a part in was only the second in Cougar history.
He’ll head to Stanford next fall carrying a winning legacy.
“15 years from now, when we’re back-to-back-to-back state champions, they can look back and say, 'Devin and those guys got this thing rolling',” Mignery said.
