Troy football player Jadarius Garner was found dead lying in the middle of Mississippi highway early Thursday morning.

Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to what was thought to be a two-vehicle accident. Upon arrival, Garner’s body was discovered. Two vehicles went over the body that was lying in the middle of US Highway 61 near O’Reilly, Mississippi.

Garner was a defensive lineman on the Troy football team for the last two seasons. He appeared in all 12 games for the Trojans in 2013, with 20 tackles and three sacks.

Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said Garner’s family is in his prayers.

“This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to Jadarius’ family in this time of grief,” Blakeney said. “Jadarius was a well respected member of our football team and his loss will be felt by all of us.”

Garner was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week following Troy’s 66-3 rout of Savannah State in September. He finished the night with three tackles-for-loss for a total of 22 yards. He also had a team-high two sacks on the day, both leading to Savannah State fumbles. Garner’s seven total tackles was also a team-high.

Troy athletic director John Hartwell echoed Blakeney’s sentiments.

“I can’t express how deeply saddened we are by the loss of Jadarius,” Hartwell said. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and teammates in this unimaginable time of pain, and we will do all that we can to help and support them.”

Several members of the Troy football team and coaching staff took to social media to express their thoughts and memories of Garner, with numerous players dedicating there 2014 season to “G,”