A community is grieving the sudden loss of one of its brightest young athletes after Deontavis “Big Coop” Cooper, a 17-year-old offensive lineman and Tulane University recruit, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Leon County, Florida, late Saturday night.
He had graduated from Thomas County Central High School in Thomasville, Georgia, just hours before the fatal accident.
Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the crash occurred around 10:55 p.m. on Thomasville Road near Amber Valley Drive. The sedan Cooper was traveling in veered onto the western shoulder heading southbound, struck a culvert, became airborne, hit a utility pole, and overturned before coming to rest on the shoulder.
Cooper, who was the rear passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other occupants, both 18 years old, were transported to Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare in critical condition.
According to Tulane assistant coach Kanan Ray, Cooper had been heading to a post-graduation celebration when the crash occurred.
He was scheduled to report to the New Orleans university for summer school and football workouts the very next day, Sunday, May 24.
A Recruit Who Stood Out From the Start
Ray, a former offensive lineman himself at both Colorado and Tulane, said Cooper caught his attention the moment he watched his game tape. He picked up the phone and called him, and the conversation quickly turned into a FaceTime call.
“He had this huge smile on his face,” Ray told USA TODAY Sports. “He just loved the game of football and was an infectious personality to be around. Lit up any room he walked into.”
Cooper stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 295 pounds. He signed with Tulane as part of the program’s 2026 recruiting class under first-year head coach Will Hall. Ray described their bond as the closest he had ever built with a recruit throughout the entire recruiting process.
At Thomas County Central, Cooper helped lead the Yellow Jackets to two state championships. One moment that Ray said captured his character came during the 2025 Georgia Class 5A State Championship game. Cooper had been battling a severe flu all week, received IV treatment, and never even made it out for pregame warmups.
He still suited up and played the entire game. Thomas County Central won the title over Gainesville and broke the Georgia state high school championship game rushing record that day.
Tributes Pour In From Coaches and Community
Head coach Justin Rogers honored Cooper in an emotional Facebook post, remembering him as someone who lit up every room and made people around him feel valued. Rogers said the team had been looking forward to watching him begin his college chapter at Tulane.
Tulane University released a formal statement calling Cooper a young man of dedication, resilience, and genuine kindness whose absence leaves a deep void.
Cooper is survived by his mother, Sheila Daniels, his sister De’Asia Daniels, who is pursuing her Ph.D. at nearby Loyola University in New Orleans, and his younger cousin Adrianna Mack, whom he lovingly referred to as his little sister.
The Thomas County School District extended its condolences to the Cooper family as the entire community mourns a young man who never got to live the future he had worked so hard to reach.
