Three years ago, the darkest day in the history of Virginia Athletics cast a shadow over Grounds as Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry were shot and killed in the Nov. 13, 2022 shooting. Then-senior running back Mike Hollins and second-year Commerce student Marlee Morgan sustained serious injuries.
In honor of the fallen, Virginia football made several changes at Scott Stadium — namely, the 1-15-41 logo was permanently added to the concourse ring and Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry’s names were added to the field design.
“I just thought that it's important that those numbers are always visible within our program on the field, to make sure that we're reminded of the legacy that we have to carry forward,” Coach Tony Elliott said.
To keep the legacy of each number alive, 1, 15 and 41 have not been retired — so what happened to the jerseys that still bear their numbers?
The 1, 15 and 41 jerseys now feature a patch on the right chest with Lavel, Devin and D’Sean’s name on their corresponding jersey. Today, five players wear them — two on offense and defense, and one on special teams, as college football players are allowed to share a number if they play on separate sides of the ball.
“Those guys that wear [1, 15 or 41], they carry those guys' legacies with them every time they take the field and put on that jersey,” graduate defensive lineman Jahmeer Carter said. “It's bigger than football. That's what those numbers represent.”
Lavel’s No. 1
Since Lavel’s passing, multiple players have worn No. 1 — including graduate defensive lineman Paul Akere 2023, who has since graduated, and junior cornerback Dre Walker.
No. 1 was initially worn by Walker this season, but when he suffered a season-ending injury, Elliott pivoted.
“I wanted that number to be on the field,” Elliott said. “[Graduate linebacker] James Jackson stepped up and said, ‘I want to do it.’”
This year, No. 1 is worn by Jackson and junior receiver Suderian Harrison. Harrison is an alum of Lavel’s high school and chose the number as a freshman in 2023. Jackson, on the other hand, did not initially wear it. Jackson wore No. 7 for his entire career until he switched to No. 1 this season.
“I felt that as someone who has been in the program for a while and knows what these numbers mean to the program, I thought it was fitting for me to do that,” Jackson said.
Devin’s No. 15
Until this year, the only wearer of No. 15 after Devin was linebacker Chico Bennett Jr., who exhausted eligibility after the 2024 season. Now, the number is worn by two newcomers — a transfer in junior defensive tackle Hunter Osborne and freshman receiver Dillon Newton-Short.
According to Elliott and teammates, Newton-Short was a fitting player to wear a special number as an in-state recruit who never wavered in his commitment to Virginia.
“[Newton-Short] knows that wearing [No. 15] is a tremendous honor,” senior receiver Trell Harris said. “We just let him know that you got to make sure you're living the right way and doing the right things, because you're not just wearing your last name, you’re honoring somebody else.”
Over on the defensive side of the ball, Osborne — an Alabama transfer — pairs his winning pedigree with Devin’s number.
“You know, Hunter is a new guy, but just the character that he has and his willingness to want to come here and be a part of this, considering, you know, where he was coming from [matter],” Elliott said. “So he was a really good option there.”
D’Sean’s No. 41
Since D’Sean, Bettridge is the only Cavalier to have worn No. 41. D’Sean and Bettridge were high school teammates in Miami, and following D’Sean’s passing, Bettridge requested to switch from No. 17 to No. 41 after his freshman season.
“We know the connection between Will Bettridge and D’Sean, high school teammates,” Elliott said. “And so he's been wearing that number in honor of D’Sean and the Perry family since the tragedy happened.”
Bettridge received the blessing to wear D’Sean’s number from D’Sean’s parents and seeks to carry on D’Sean’s legacy by educating others about his former teammate.
“There’s a lot of new guys [on the team], and I feel like a lot of them already know the importance of those three to this program, and to me specifically,” Bettridge said in 2024. “Their legacy is being held up great, and I think that’s just going to continue to just get better and grow year after year.”
A legacy continued
Lavel, Devin and D’Sean are honored through other numbers too. In 2023, Lavel, Devin and D’Sean all shared the same number as they were posthumously honored as the No. 1 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft, with the NFL gifting the families jerseys of their son’s favorite team with their last name on the jersey. Lavel’s family received a Baltimore Ravens jersey, Devin’s family received a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey and D’Sean’s family received a Miami Dolphins jersey.
According to Harris, Jackson and senior defensive tackle Jacob Holmes, winning on the football field — with 1-15-41 proudly worn — is the best way to honor their fallen brothers. Now, there is one more special number, No. 19, which marks the Cavaliers’ national ranking as a College Football Playoff hopeful.
“You're going out there every Saturday and playing for something more than just yourself,” Holmes said. “And I feel that wearing that number, every Saturday, you kind of have a different standard of play.”
Three years after Lavel, Devin and D’Sean were tragically killed, Virginia football has never — and will never — forget the impact the young men made on their teammates, classmates, friends, family and the entire University community.
“We try to do everything we can to honor those guys,” Jackson said.
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