CUTHBERT, Ga. (WALB) —Brenton Truitt, the son of Randolph-Clay head football coach Charles Truitt and a member of the Red Devils coaching staff, was killed in a car accident. He was 29 years old.

Coach Charles Truitt is away from the team as his family grieves. The loss has been felt across the Randolph-Clay program and the surrounding South Georgia community.

Players respond by coming together

Players and coaches said their response to the loss has been to draw closer together, encourage one another, and carry forward the love they have for their coach.

“It really was sad, like everybody, we had to come closer together, like cheer each other on, make each other feel good about each other,” Rae’Shawn Clyde said. “But we knew Coach loved it, and he knew he wanted us to do better. And this year, we’re going to be the year we’re going to do better.”

‘Nobody’s in these players’ shoes’

Analysts covering the team said outside assumptions about what the players are experiencing fall short of the reality those inside the program are living.

“Nobody’s in Coach Truitt’s shoes. Nobody’s in these players’ shoes,” WALB Sports Director Aaron Meaux said. “These guys were with Coach all the time. For a lot of these young men, I’m sure he was like a father to some of them.”

The team enters preseason one week before kickoff while navigating the loss. Meaux and McKenzie Blaze said senior leadership will be critical in the coming days, calling on veterans to show empathy, offer positive reinforcement, and serve as a shoulder for teammates.

‘Family’ at the heart of the program

Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator Billy Glanton described the team as family-oriented and close-knit. Players and staff said the program will push forward in coach’s memory.

“Pushing through there, they fight hard for him,” Glanton said. “They were already fighting hard, but that throws a different... another wrinkle in the fire for us. With all the things that’s happened in the last couple weeks — family. They’re very family-oriented. They’re very close-knit.”

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