Devale Ellis

About

Devale Ellis (born April 2, 1984, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor and former football player. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Hofstra. As an actor, Ellis is best known for portraying Zac Taylor in the BET comedy-drama series Sistas and its spin-off Zatima.

Devale Ellis is the son of Troy and Karen Ellis. He has one brother Brian and a sister Tori. Devale attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he played football and basketball. In his senior year at Madison, he lit up the Public School Athletic League. He was in the top ten for catches made and in the top ten for touchdowns made by a wide receiver. He also played in the PSAL all-star game. During the season, he earned the nickname Devale “Show Time” Ellis.
He attended Hofstra University, where he was a teammate of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston. Ellis finished his career with 176 catches for 2,207 yards (a 12.5 per-catch average) and 22 touchdowns. As a senior in 2005, he led Hofstra with 74 receptions for 943 yards and five touchdowns. He ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in receptions, third in…