Austin Peay freshman given vigil at alma mater following car crash death

On Sunday, July 23, a vigil was held for Jeremiah Collins, an 18-year-old Austin Peay football player from Tennessee, which drew friends and family to the Oakland High School football field in Murfreesboro, according to a report from WSMV.com.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Collins of Lascassas, was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Briley Parkway on Friday, July 21.

Authorities said Collins was traveling at a high rate of speed when he tried to take an exit, which caused his pickup truck to leave the road, roll several times, and come to rest in a grassy area.

Collins — who was a freshman football player at APSU — was reportedly taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center, where he later died. There were no signs of impairment at the scene of the incident, officials said.

In a Sunday afternoon tweet, APSU Athletics thanked the community for the “outpouring of love and support for Jeremiah and the Collins family.”

Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of love and support for Jeremiah and the Collins Family.

All donations made at the Govs Care link below will go to assist the Collins Family with funeral arrangements.

🔗 –> https://t.co/9BfjcghmGG pic.twitter.com/FxgILBW4QJ

— Austin Peay Governors (@letsgopeay) July 23, 2023

Austin Peay head football coach Scotty Walden issued the following message with the community:

“He is forever an Oakland Patriot and forever an Austin Peay Governor and we will cherish him.”

In addition, the university shared a link from Govs Care — a fund created by APSU Athletics to support student-athletes and their families amid emergencies, catastrophic injuries, and crisis-care situations — to help raise money for Jeremiah’s funeral arrangements.

If you would like to donate to the cause, click here.