Deontavis Cooper, a 17-year-old football prospect who had recently signed with Tulane Green Wave football, died in a car crash on Saturday night. The accident occurred in northeast Tallahassee, just hours after Cooper graduated from Thomas County Central High School.
Cooper was riding in the back seat of a sedan involved in a single-vehicle crash on Thomasville Road near Chiles High School. The vehicle veered onto the western shoulder, struck a culvert and became airborne before crashing into a utility pole and overturning.
Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver and front-seat passenger survived the crash but were transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
Cooper was known affectionately as 'Big Coop' and had already become a beloved figure within the Thomas County Central football program. His coach, Justin Rogers, paid tribute to the teenager in an emotional social media post.
Tulane football officials also mourned the loss of the incoming freshman, who had been preparing to begin his college football career in New Orleans this week.
