HBCU champion, FBS player dead in apparent suicide
William Davis, a former HBCU football star has reportedly passed away in what is now being reported as an apparent suicide.
Davis, 22, died Saturday, according to the Houston Chronicle. Sam Houston State confirmed his death. A cause had not been announced as of Sunday evening. Davis had transferred to Sam Houston State in January after spending the 2025 season at West Virginia. A source indicates he was recently back home in Virginia.
William Davis helped Virginia Union build a champion
Before his FBS stops, William Davis became a key piece at Virginia Union, one of the top Division II HBCU programs in the country.
Davis played for Virginia Union from 2022 through 2024. His final season in Richmond was his best. He earned All-CIAA honors after recording 56 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack.
Those numbers came during a championship season. VUU defeated rival Virginia State 17-13 in the 2024 CIAA Championship Game, securing back-to-back league titles. HBCU Gameday covered that win as a gritty title-game battle that reinforced Virginia Union’s place among the top HBCU football programs in Division II.
Virginia Union’s back-to-back run
The 2024 title was not a one-year moment. It continued a powerful run for VUU under head coach Alvin Parker. The Panthers had already claimed the 2023 CIAA crown, then returned the next year and defended it.
That made Davis part of a rare championship stretch for the program. He was one of more than a dozen players from that team to transfer to Division I.
An HBCU legacy cut short
After leaving Virginia Union, Davis transferred to West Virginia. He appeared in one game during the 2025 season before moving to Sam Houston State.
Davis was a native of South Boston, Virginia. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurial management from VUU in 2024.
His football journey reached multiple levels. But his legacy will always include the championship standard he helped build at Virginia Union.
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 8:09 PM.