Georgian soccer player Devin Willock was not wearing a seat belt when he was thrown from the vehicle in a weekend crash that killed him and a recruiter, police said.
A police report released Tuesday listed excessive speed on a 40-mph speed limit road as a leading cause of the crash.
The wreck happened at 2:45 a.m. Sunday in Athens, less than two miles from the university campus. A few hours earlier, the Bulldogs held a parade through town and a ceremony at Sanford Stadium in honor of their second straight national championship.
UGA OL Devin Willock was not wearing a seat belt when a car driven by Chandler LeCroy lost control and struck multiple objects, police say. Willock was pronounced dead at the scene.
Willock, 20, an offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle, 24-year-old recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, died shortly after being taken to a hospital.
Two other people were in the car, including offensive lineman Warren McClendon, who just announced Saturday that he will be in the NFL draft.
Like LeCroy, McClendon wore a shoulder and lap belt restraint while seated in the right-hand passenger seat, police said. He sustained only minor injuries, described in the Athens-Clarke County Police Report as a laceration to the forehead.
Another member of the Georgia football team, Victoria Bowles, was hospitalized with serious injuries. She was in the back seat with Willock and was not wearing a seat belt, the report said.
Willock was thrown from the vehicle in an accident, resulting in his death, shortly after celebrating Georgia’s national championship win in a parade a few hours earlier
Police investigators said the 2021 Ford Expedition “failed to negotiate a left-hand turn, causing the vehicle to hit the curb with its passenger tire and exit the lane on the west shoulder.”
The SUV struck a Georgia utility pole and another utility pole, cutting them in half before hitting a tree on the rear passenger side quarter panel. This caused the vehicle to spin clockwise before hitting another tree on the driver’s side – where both LeCroy and Willock were seated.
“This caused the vehicle to turn counterclockwise before finally stopping at an apartment building,” the report said, adding that a vehicle parked in front of a unit was also hit by the runaway SUV.
The report states that LeCroy was not tested for alcohol or drugs, although the investigation continued. Investigators did not provide an estimated speed, nor did they know the driver’s condition at the time of the accident.
LeCroy was driving the vehicle, lost control and crashed into utility poles and cars, police say
The report also listed other unspecified factors as contributors.
The crash suddenly turned the festive mood on the Georgia campus into one of mourning.
“The best roommate, teammate and brother I could ever ask for. I don’t even have words,” Xavier Truss, who played alongside Willock on the offensive line, wrote on Twitter. “I wish I could hear that silly laugh one last time. Heaven won a good one. I love you forever, Dev.’
Willock was a 6-foot-7, 335-pound redshirt sophomore from New Milford, New Jersey.
He played extensively as a backup during the 2022 season, starting at right in Southeastern Conference wins over Tennessee and Kentucky.
As a redshirt sophomore, Willock played in all 15 games for the Dawgs, including two starts
A Georgia native, LeCroy has been in her role with the Bulldogs since May 2021
With McClendon and offensive lineman Warren Ericson both going to the NFL draft, Willock likely would have fought for a starting position in 2023 as the Bulldogs battle for a third straight national title.
Football programs across the country expressed their condolences. Nebraska released Willock and LeCroy’s names on the video board at Memorial Stadium.
“Our hearts are heavy today. No words just prayers for (Georgia Athletics) and the families of Devin and Chandler. Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule tweeted.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart posted pictures of both victims on Twitter a few hours after the crash.
‘Miss you already,’ he wrote by Willock. “I’ll be thinking of you tonight, Devin.”
Smart said of LeCroy: “Went way too soon. Chandler, I will always remember you for your kind heart.”