‘I Still Can’t Put it Together’: Parents of University of Georgia Football Player Reeling Over Loss

University of Georgia offensive lineman, Devin Willock, along with a member of the football staff, Chandler LeCroy, were both killed in a car accident on Jan.15..

Atlanta station WSB-TV spoke exclusively with Willock’s parents, Sharlene and Dave Willock, about the tragedy.

The college football player was on a high after his team won the national championship the previous week. The family was just as elated as they witnessed the Georgia Bulldogs trounce the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs by a score of 65-7 in Los Angeles.

They were with Willock, attending the championship celebration in Athens, GA, hours before he tragically passed away.

“Devin was on top of the world. He was happy; he was kind of, like, planning for next year,” Sharlene told the media outlet. Then they received a phone call from his football coach with the news that their son had died.

“He told me the news there was an accident, and he passed away,” Dave recalls.

After sharing Devin’s plans to get back to the championship game, declaring for the NFL draft, and building for his future, his parents are currently making plans for his funeral.

“He’s not going to get married. He’s not going to have kids. He’s not going to live his dream,” said Sharlene.

The tragedy is reminiscent of Devin’s half-brother, Jonathan, who also died in a car accident, several years ago. “I still can’t put it together; I still can’t believe it’s happened,” said Dave.

Now, the Willocks are finalizing his funeral plans as they plan on having a service in Athens, as well as in his hometown in New Jersey.

According to CBS News, the 20-year-old Willock was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident. LeCroy, who was driving the vehicle, died after being taken to the hospital. She was a football recruiting analyst for the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department stated that the initial investigation discovered that the Ford Expedition “left the roadway, striking two power poles and several trees.”