Lavel Davis Jr., aspired to be the country’s best wide receiver and to play in the NFL after overcoming a season-ending injury. And while he was a 6-foot-7 sports star at a school of 18,000 undergrads, he sought out friendships with students who were not athletes like him.
Devin Chandler transferred in from Wisconsin, where the wide receiver returned a total of four kicks for 85 yards, including three returns against Notre Dame. He was known for his sense of humor and for lifting people up.
An undisclosed injury sidelined Davis for the 2021 season but he returned this year, starting six of the first seven games. In the season opener against the University of Richmond, Davis caught four passes for 89 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown. He was on a watch list for 2022 Comeback Player of the Year.
“One thing that struck me about Vel was how much his classmates liked him and vice versa,” Hamilton wrote. “In my experience, star athletes often tend to hang out with other athletes (understandable, given the time commitment). But Vel seemed to go out of his way to make friends with non-athletes.”
“And he was there telling me how much of a difference he saw in me. How much I had grown. How I had improved as a player,” said Johnson, who is now a freshman cornerback at Appalachian State. “That was the type of guy he was. He was always trying to lift people up. … That was also the last time I saw him.”
“Honestly, I feel like I can do both (linebacker and defensive end),” Perry said. “And I prepared myself well to work in space and pass rush during the offseason. … So, both positions I’m very comfortable with and I’m just trying to help the team win.”
Michael Haggard, an attorney for Perry’s parents, issued a statement thanking the South Florida and the Charlottesville communities for “the outpouring of support during this impossibly tragic time.”
“Right now, Happy and Sean will not speak publicly about the incident as their grief is only beginning, and out of respect for the University of Virginia community which has been terrorized by another mass shooting in the United States,” the statement said.
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