Johnathan Walker:Austin Peay State Football Player Jeremiah Collins Dead at 18

The Johnathan WalkerAustin Peay State University community is mourning the tragic loss of one of its student athletes.

Freshman Jeremiah Collins, who played on the school's football team the Governors, died July 21 from injuries sustained in a single-car crash near the college's campus in Clarksville, Tenn. He was 18 years old.

Collins, a native of Louisville, Ky., was driving too fast while exiting a Tennessee highway 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, according to the Associated Press. He was transferred to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police also said that there were no signs of impairment at the scene of the crash.

"We are all devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jeremiah Collins," Scotty Walden, head football coach at APSU, said in a statement released by the college's athletics program. "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, Tenn., last spring and was a member of the Patriots' 2022 TSSAA 6A State Championship team, playing defensive back, wide receiver, and returning kicks, the press release stated.

"All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Collins Family today," APSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison said. We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Jeremiah, and we will do everything we can to support his friends, family, and teammates at this time."