ATHENS, Ga. — A Georgia offensive lineman is returning to the football field weeks after a crash killed his teammate and a football staff member and left him and another staff member injured.
On Monday, Warren McClendon accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, which will be held Feb. 4 in Mobile, Alabama.
The Senior Bowl also granted McClendon permission to wear No. 77 for Devin Willock.
With the blessing of Warren McClendon and his family, the @seniorbowl has assigned McClendon jersey #77 to honor his late @GeorgiaFootball teammate Devin Willock. McClendon wore #70 in his three years as starter for the Dawgs.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 23, 2023
Willock, 20, and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy, 24, died in a Jan. 15 car crash in Athens. LeCroy was driving the night of the crash. Willock was sitting in the rear driver-side seat behind LeCroy.
McClendon was in the passenger seat. Bowles was in the rear passenger seat. Both of them had a few injuries.
RELATED STORIES
- ‘She was a beautiful person:’ Hundreds gather at funeral to honor the life of UGA recruiter
- ‘I still can’t believe it happened:’ Parents of UGA football player killed in crash speak out
- Report reveals excessive speed a factor in crash that killed UGA football player, team staffer
McClendon, a three-year starter and sports management major from Brunswick, Georgia, declared for the 2023 NFL draft hours before the crash.
“I never could have imagined how big of an impact the University of Georgia would have on me through the people I have met and the memories I have made,” McClendon said.
©2022 Cox Media Group
