Georgia honors Devin Willock, Chandler LeCroy at G-Day
Georgia honors Devin Willock, Chandler LeCroy at G-Day
ATHENS — Georgia took a delay of game penalty on the first play from scrimmage on G-Day to honor Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy, who both passed away in January.
Willock, a former player and LeCroy, a recruiting analyst, both died in a tragic car accident following the Bulldogs’ second national championship celebration on Jan. 15.
The red team took Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium and lined up with only 10 players as starting quarterback Carson Beck kneeled down as the crowd cheered. Red team offensive lineman Xavier Truss, who was good friends with Willock, sat out the first play. Willock played right guard and was a reserve offensive lineman the past two years.
Players on the field and sideline lifted their helmets toward the sky in remembrance both LeCroy and Willock. The tribute was well-received by the crowd in the stands at the stadium.
"Just thinking about both of them and wishing they were here with us," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said following the Bulldogs’ annual G-Day scrimmage. "The players wanted to do something to remember those two, and we felt that it was a good [idea] to honor them. It was a good way to honor them, love them and that’s what we did.”
Willock, a native of New Milford, NJ., played in all 15 games last season on Georgia’s second national championship run with two starts in wins against Tennessee and Kentucky.
LeCroy, a native of nearby Toccoa, Ga., received a bachelor's degree and master's degree in sports management and policy from the University of Georgia, per her LinkedIn account. She also had been with the team as a recruiting analyst since May 2021.
The Bulldogs’ offensive line room has been trying to remember Willock the best they can.
“Devin, it always feels like he’s still here and he’s still with us in the o-line room because a lot of the film that we’re watching and coaching, especially the young guys,” Truss said earlier this spring to reporters. “It’s last year’s film. He’s always on there, and his big body’s always running around and everything. You get to see him every day. Somebody — I’m not sure who drew it, but somebody gave our offensive line room a portrait. It was like a hand-drawn portrait of Devin, and it sits right above the door. You know, you get to see it every time you walk in and out. His seat up front and it stays empty, so it always feels like he’s there. He’s always there with us. He’s always there.”
According to Truss, the two were best friends and lived together for the past few years.
“I mean, obviously, that was something that was incredibly hard, and not just on myself obviously, but on the entire unit, on the o-line, on the entire team. That’s a part of my life now, you know?” Truss added. “That I’ll always embrace the relationship I have with all my teammates and everything now. As much of a pain in my heart as it was, I am trying to see the bright side of things now. Devin always had such great energy that he always brought it into the facility. So, I feel like the best way to honor him is to have that same energy he always brought, the grit that he played with and everything.”
A few Bulldog players got tattoos of Willock to remember him, specifically Amarius Mims, who posted a picture of the ink on his Instagram less than a week after the crash.
“It’s something that will never leave our minds. He was one of our brothers, one of our best friends,” Georgia right guard Tate Ratledge said during the spring. “We’ve got a picture in the offensive line room now. I got this tattoo on my wrist for him. Yeah, it’s just something that will always just come about. Even when we’re watching plays. They come up and you see him there. We always know he’s there with us and taking care of us.”