Former Mississippi State WR De'Runnya Wilson found dead, homicide investigation underway
Former Mississippi State WR De’Runnya Wilson was found dead in a Birmingham, Alabama, house on Tuesday. He was 25.
Per Birmingham police, Wilson was discovered by a family member and a homicide investigation has begun. According to Al.com, Wilson’s death would be the seventh homicide in Birmingham in 2020.
“[Police] received information from a relative that the victim was unresponsive inside the home,” Sgt. Johnny Williams said in a media statement. “Once arriving, our officers found information that led them to investigate this as a homicide. Currently we are in homicide investigation mode and there are limited details on this investigation.”
Media Release 15 Homicide Investigation underway pic.twitter.com/NTGyvlpEuE
— Birmingham Police (@BhamPolice) January 21, 2020
Mississippi State shared its condolences Tuesday evening.
Tonight, we mourn the loss of former Bulldog De’Runnya Wilson. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Thanks for the many memories you gave us, “Bear.” #BearForceOne pic.twitter.com/M2DhnfcWRH
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) January 22, 2020
Wilson played at Mississippi State from 2013-15
Wilson was one of Dak Prescott’s most trusted wide receivers in his time with the Bulldogs. His best season came as a junior in 2015 when he had 49 catches for 905 yards and 10 touchdowns as Mississippi State went 9-4 and won the Belk Bowl.
In 2014, Wilson had 47 catches for 680 yards and nine scores. He had touchdowns in his first five games of the season as Mississippi State started the season 9-0 and was No. 1 in the first-ever College Football Playoff rankings.
Wilson’s 22 career receiving touchdowns are tied with teammate Fred Ross for the second-most in school history behind Chad Bumphis’ 24 TD grabs. Wilson finished his career with 1,949 receiving yards on 133 catches and he’s just one of nine MSU receivers to have more than 900 yards receiving in a single season.
A native of Birmingham, Wilson started playing football as a senior in high school after primarily playing basketball. He declared for the NFL draft after his junior season in 2015 but he went undrafted.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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