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Devin Hester Jr.'s Long Kickoff Return Almost Made Everyone Feel Really Old

No, it’s not that Devin Hester’s Devin Hester Jr.

Tyler Lauletta

Furman University has a Devin Hester Jr. returning kicks, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of.
Furman University has a Devin Hester Jr. returning kicks, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of. / @PaladinFootball / X
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As highlights from across the college football world began to roll in on Saturday afternoon, one particular name caught the attention of many aging football fans.

Devin Hester Jr. had returned a kick for Furman University against William & Mary, and nearly took it to the house.

If you saw “Devin Hester Jr. is returning kicks” and jumped to assume that it was the son of NFL return specialist Devin Hester, you would be forgiven. You would also be mistaken.

As it turns out, this Devin Hester Jr. is a different Devin Hester Jr.

This is not exactly an easy thing to figure out, because the NFL Devin Hester that you are likely more familiar with also has a son named Devin Hester Jr. But that Devin Hester Jr. is still in high school, and appears to be more focused as a track athlete. He is listed as in the Class of 2028.

Meanwhile, Furman’s Devin Hester Jr. is a college sophomore, and was born in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Google’s AI search results added to the confusion by deciding that sure, these two Devin Hesters were probably related.

A google AI search result incorrectly identifies Furman’s Devin Hester Jr. as the son of NFL great Devin Hester.
Wrong again AI! / Screengrab / Tyler Lauletta

Again, Furman’s Devin Hester is not related to NFL Hall of Famer Devin Hester, but fans who made the jump were quick to raise concerns about how quickly they are aging.

If you or an aging millennial you know saw Devin Hester Jr. returning kicks in a football game and became worried about the unstopping passage of time, rest easy, you have a few more years to relax.

And to Furman’s Devin Hester Jr., cheers on making some big plays on Saturday. Let’s hope he can make it to the NFL so we can play this game all over again in a few years.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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