Kario Oquendo was not yet awake when he received a phone call from teammate Jabri Abdur-Rahim early Sunday morning.

He never imagined what his news would be.

Word that football player Devin Willock – a good friend of both Oquendo and Abdur-Rahim – had passed away in a single-car accident - was impossible to believe.

“You never want to hear that one of your friends, someone you knew passed away in that type of way,” Oquendo said. “I’ll definitely be thinking of him Tuesday (when Georgia plays Kentucky).

Football recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy also perished in the accident, with fellow recruiting staffer Tory Bowles suffering serious injuries. Bulldogs right tackle Warren McClendon suffered minor injuries and was able to walk away.

“It’s been definitely tough,” Bulldog Jusaun Holt said. “I wasn’t close to him but some of my teammates were. Seeing him around, he was always smiling and stuff. He was just a great guy. We feel for him. It’s something where we’ve got to step back and think that it’s not just a sport.”

Basketball coach Mike White said the tragedy has hit everyone in the Bulldog hard. His basketball team has been no exception.

That’s why, before Sunday’s film session, White offered his players a chance to speak about the incident and remember their late friend.

“That’s the first thing we talked about when we came in to watch film. I just wanted to offer my condolences to our guys who were close with Devin,” White said. “We offered guys an opportunity to talk, to express themselves. Guys were pretty somber. The mood was somber, of course, as it is probably throughout campus. It’s tragic, it’s sad: our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the entire football program.

We’ve got to count our blessings. It’s a tough time around here.”

Oquendo said the fact White provided the opportunity, even with a big game at Kentucky (Tuesday, 9 p.m. on ESPN) just two days away, spoke volumes to the planers.

“I think having Coach show sympathy for things that aren’t just about their players … it shows that they really care about a lot of different players and a lot of different things. He didn’t have to come in and say any of that,” Oquendo said. “But just to know that he was thinking about the situation, which makes a lot of guys feel better, just to have an idea and help us cope with the situation.”

The Bulldog basketball program likely is not done honoring the memory of Willock and LeCroy.

“We’ve got a long time before 9 p.m. tomorrow night,” White said. “We had a practice yesterday, went right to it this morning, and just getting out. That’s something we will discuss as a staff this afternoon.”