Davis, who in 2020 put together one of the best freshman seasons by a UVA receiver in school history with 515 yards and five touchdowns in eight games, impressed Hamilton with his down-to-earth demeanor. After the first day of class, Davis went out of his way to introduce himself to Hamilton. Davis told his instructor to call him Vel.
“One thing that struck me about Vel was how much his classmates liked him and vice versa,” Hamilton said. “In my experience, star-athletes often tend to hang out with other athletes (understandable, given the time commitment) but Vel seemed to go out of his way to make friends with non-athletes.”
Hamilton concluded his thread by saying Chandler and Davis had “truly limitless futures” and “it breaks my heart” they’re gone.
Perry was called the “human embodiment of resilience and perseverance” by Charles Snowden, a former Cavalier who’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.
In an Instagram post that included several photos and videos of Perry, Snowden said Perry was the closest thing to a little brother he’s ever had.
“He’d come to me for advice on everything from football to school to girls to simply life,” Snowden said. “But I’d say I can say without a doubt I learned a lot more from him than he did from me. He faced plenty of his ups and downs but he faced every challenge with courage and every scar only made him stronger. That is something I will never forget and always carry with me in his honor.”
Former UVA football assistant coach Mark Atuaia showed the fun side to Perry by reposting videos of him engaging in Atuaia-led team raps. “This is how I wanna remember him while I cope with this new reality.” Atuaia said.
Large banners bearing the jersey numbers of Chandler (No. 15), Davis (No. 1) and Perry (No. 41) were on display throughout Grounds as Monday night ended.
