CNN
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Police on Monday identified the two passengers injured in the single-vehicle crash that killed University of Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and a staff member. Chandler LeCroy early Sunday, just hours after the team celebrated winning the national championship.
Shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, LeCroy, 24, was driving with Willock, 20, and two other passengers near the UGA campus in Athens when the vehicle veered off the road, hitting two utility poles and several trees, Athens-Clarke County Police Department said in a news release.
Willock was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, and LeCroy died after being taken to hospital, police said.
“None of the other passengers were ejected,” according to police lieutenant Shaun Barnett.
Willock, a redshirt sophomore from New Milford, New Jersey, joined the team as a rookie in 2020 and played on the offensive line in all 15 games for the team last season. LeCroy was a football recruiting analyst for UGA, according to his LinkedIn.
The two passengers injured in the crash have been identified as Georgian offensive lineman Warren McClendon, 21, who was slightly injured, and Victoria Bowles, 26, who was seriously injured, according to police.
McClendon has started at the right tackle for Georgia this season and declared for the NFL Draft earlier Saturday. His father, Warren McClendon Sr., told the Athens Banner-Herald that he needed stitches in his forehead but was “doing fine.”
The crash happened hours after Sanford Stadium and the surrounding streets were filled with ecstatic fans who had come to celebrate the Bulldogs’ second straight national championship. But the next morning, they had joined the team to mourn the sudden loss of Willock and LeCroy.
Willock’s aunt and uncle, Cicely and Normal Stout, said their nephew was well-liked and did well in school.
“He was doing very well. He was much loved by all his peers, all the teachers and all the coaches,” Cicely Stout said. “Devin is always smiling, no matter what. Devin has a smile on his face and he was doing very well in his studies. He was doing very well. He was a good, very good student, very good person.
It is an unfortunately familiar tragedy for the family. Willock’s older brother, Jonathan Wheatley, died in 2009 aged 20 from injuries sustained in a similar car crash, Cicely Stout said.
“He left way too soon for us,” Willock’s uncle said.
Photos of the crash site taken by nearby residents show a wooden power pole snapped in half and the car’s frame crumpled against a building.
“That car was dented like a tin can,” Cecily Pangburn, a resident of the apartment complex, told CNN. She described hearing a loud bang when the accident happened, followed by a power cut.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said. Investigators have asked anyone with information to contact authorities.
Both members of the UGA team have been remembered by several university leaders as dynamic and valued presences in the football program.
“Devin was an exceptional young man in every way. He was always smiling, a great teammate and a joy to coach,” head football coach Kirby Smart said in a statement on Sunday. “Chandler was a valued member of our football team and brought an attitude and a incredible energy every day.”
“These two special people meant the world to our football program and our athletics department,” UGA athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement. statement. “We are working with our medical staff and mental health and performance team to ensure our staff and student-athletes get all the support they need during this extremely difficult time.”
Willock spent Saturday with the fans, soaking up the joy of last week’s championship win. One fan in particular had some quality time with Willock in the hours leading up to his death.
Willock met 7-year-old Camdyn Gonzales after the young fan spotted Willock as he left the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Athens on Saturday.
The player punched Camdyn and let the boy try on his huge 2021 championship ring.
“He was humbled and very grateful that we knew who he was and wanted to talk to him,” Camdyn’s grandfather Sam Kramer said, adding that Willock seemed “so full of life and just happy.”
Daniel Dewitt, a local UGA fan, attended Saturday’s victory parade and told CNN that Willock was “upbeat and happy” as the team passed a crowd of supporters draped in red and black.
“It’s just heartbreaking after a week of celebration. And yesterday’s parade, seeing this player and then finding out he lost his life early this morning, the whole Bulldog nation is lost,” Dewitt said.
Dewitt told CNN he has a 2021 UGA Championship tattoo and plans to get a matching one for this season’s win. This time, he said, it will feature Willock’s number, 77.
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