Georgia's new No. 77 tradition honors the way Devin Willock lived life, played the game
ATHENS, Ga. — The No. 77 has special meaning in the Georgia locker room this year. As a way to honor their fallen teammate Devin Willock who died tragically in a car crash on the night of the National Championship celebration, the Bulldogs have decided to make the jersey number a special thing this year.
Each week, a different offensive lineman will wear the No. 77 jersey. Xavier Truss, Willock’s roommate and good friend, was the first to do so in Georgia’s season-opener on Saturday and shared what that meant to him.
“I want to start by saying how much I miss my man and how much of a blessing it is to get the opportunity to wear this number,” Truss said, patting on the No. 77 jersey as he did so. “This is something Coach Searels, we decided as a group that a different player every week would get to try to represent Devin and the way he lived every day and the way he played on the field, giving his all, by wearing 77.”
Truss said the decision on who to wear the special number would be based on who’s deserving of it. As the 6-foot-7, 320-pound native of West Warwick, Rhode Island said, it’ll be somebody who’s “playing their heart out like Devin did.”
“To be the first player chosen, him being my old roommate and my best friend, it means the world to be able to represent him like this,” Truss said. “… I hope it’s a beautiful thing that gets to be carried on year after year. It means the world to me and this group of guys.”
Truss said he learned that he’d be wearing the No. 77 just a day before the game during the team meal. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addressed the team and told the Bulldogs about the decision to honor Willock’s life in that way – and that Truss would be the first to take the field wearing his jersey.
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“We talked about it as a staff and a team. We went to the players and talked about what they wanted to do. The offensive line felt very strongly about it,” Smart said. “Coach Searels kind made the decision that Truss, who was very close to Dev, lived with Dev, that he would honor him and allow him to play in the jersey.”
Asked what it means to “live like Devin” and play like him, Truss described it as a relentless, every day attitude. That’s how Willock, who was just a three-star coming out of Paramus (New Jersey) Catholic, earned himself a regular spot in Georgia’s rotation last season – appearing in all 15 games including two (Tennessee, Kentucky) that he started.
“Giving it your all. Whoever is showing that day in and day out, I think it’s the best reward anybody could ask for,” Truss said with a sense of passion.
Truss said he learned about the fact that he’d be wearing No. 77 for the opener so late that he hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to the Willock family but hoped that they were able to watch the game – a 48-7 Bulldog victory – and see the way that his teammates honored his life on Saturday.
