Incoming Tulane football player Deontavis Cooper was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Florida, authorities said. He was 17.
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The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash occurred shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday on Thomasville Road in Leon County, per WCTV.
According to investigators, a sedan carrying three occupants was traveling south when it left the roadway, struck a culvert and became airborne. Troopers said the vehicle then hit a utility pole and rolled over.
Cooper, who was riding in the back seat, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver and front-seat passenger, both 18, were transported to a local hospital with critical injuries. Authorities said both remained in critical condition as of Sunday.
Cooper recently graduated from Thomas County Central High School in Georgia and was preparing to begin his college football career at Tulane University. He signed with the Green Wave in December after helping lead Thomas County Central to two state championships.
Thomas County Central football coach Justin Rogers remembered Cooper, known to teammates and friends as "Big Coop," in a social media tribute.
"While that dream was cut far too short, the impact he made on his teammates, coaches, teachers, friends and family will last forever," Rogers wrote.
The Thomas County School District also expressed condolences to Cooper's family and loved ones.
Cooper was considered one of the top players in his program and had been set to report to Tulane in the coming days to begin the next chapter of his football career.
The crash remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
