Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

Green Bay, WI – On Saturday, April 26, former Bremen High School (Midlothian, IL) alumnus Devonte O’Malley, a defensive tackle, signed with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.

“We are so proud of you and can’t wait to follow your NFL journey,” Bremen High School wrote on May 1.

Before attending Bremen High School, O’Malley played for the Mid-Crest Panthers, a youth football team based in Crestwood.

While playing for the Bremen Braves, O’Malley contributed on both sides of the ball.

In his junior year (2018), he played as both a wide receiver and a linebacker on the varsity squad. As a receiver, he appeared in 7 games and recorded 21 receptions for 460 yards and 4 touchdowns. On defense, he totaled 14 tackles—6 solo and 8 assisted.

In his senior season (2019), O’Malley continued at wide receiver and transitioned to defensive end. That year, he played in 8 games, posting 12 receptions for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defensively, he notched 67 total tackles—32 solo, 35 assisted—along with 5.0 sacks.

After graduating from Bremen, O’Malley went on to play exclusively on defense at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, a member of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference (MAC).

• In 2020, as a true freshman, he recorded 5 total tackles—all solo.
• In 2021, he posted 16 total tackles—10 solo, 6 assisted.
• In 2022, he improved to 36 total tackles—16 solo, 20 assisted—and earned All-MAC honors from both Phil Steele and the League Coaches Association.
• In 2023, he registered 35 total tackles—18 solo, 17 assisted—with 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
• In 2024, his final collegiate season, he set a career high with 39 total tackles—23 solo, 16 assisted—including 11.5 tackles for loss, again earning All-MAC honors from both Phil Steele and the League Coaches Association.

One of the defining moments of O’Malley’s college career came on September 7, 2024, in NIU’s 16–14 upset win over No. 5 Notre Dame, who went on to finish as national runners-up. In that game, O’Malley broke up a pass and forced a key fumble, earning him national recognition as the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and the MAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Over his career at NIU, O’Malley played in 58 games, recording 131 total tackles—72 solo—including 30 tackles for loss.

Impressed by his consistent growth and standout defensive play at Northern Illinois, the NFL’s Tennessee Titans recognized O’Malley’s potential and signed him as an undrafted free agent on April 23.

The NFL preseason training camps begin in mid-July.

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