Austin Peay State freshman football player dies in single-car crash

Updated Jul. 22, 2023 1:09 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A freshman football player at Austin Peay State University died Friday night in a single-car crash near the school’s campus in Clarksville, Tennessee, officials said.

Jeremiah Collins, 18, was driving too fast while exiting Briley Parkway West at Clarksville and his pickup truck rolled several times before coming to rest in a grassy area, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a news release.

Police said there were no signs of impairment at the scene. Collins was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

University officials announced his death in a news release Saturday morning, saying the school community was mourning.

“We are all devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jeremiah Collins,” head football coach Scotty Walden said in the release. “Jeremiah was an outstanding young man who brought an incredible attitude and energy every day. We grieve with the Collins family for their tragic loss and lift them up in prayer.”

Collins graduated from Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, last spring.