R.I.P DEVONTA LEE: FORMER LSU TIGER & 2019 NATIONAL CHAMPION
- Lonn Phillips Sullivan
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
In a world where we all increasingly find ourselves writing these kinds of articles all too much lately, here we are....writing another one again with heavy hearts growing heavier:
It was in the early hours of Thursday morning when the family of LSU National Champion and former Tiger wide receiver Devonta Lee announced the unthinkable:
After fighting osteosarcoma cancer for 3 courageous years and winning only a few years previously, ringing the remission bell & even playing football again, in the early morning hours of Thursday, Devonta Lee's Lord and Savior welcomed him home, passing away at the age of 26.
A towering presence on and off the field, his lingering impact will cast a shadow that reaches further than his 6 foot 2 height and athletically ridiculous wingspan:
“He was a fighter, and he loved everybody. He was a good kid, he would do anything for anybody. He loved football, he gave his all in anything he did. He worked out every day.....a very hard, dedicated player who never gave up on football. I will miss my son," Lee's mother, Lacresia Brown, said in a statement today.
An on-field hero of Amite High, a key player on a squad that won the 2018 State Championship, Lee was dominant on both sides of the ball for Amite, catching 22 touchdowns offensively & intercepting 7 passes on defense.
He then played football at LSU, winning the 2019/20 CFP National Championship as part of the greatest college football squad ever assembled, even catching a few passes and taking to the field for relief / substitute appearances among a legendary lineup.....one where Lee belonged.
As a true freshman within a wide receiver room that contained Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chase, Terrace Marshall, Trey Palmer, Racey McMath, Derrick Dillon, and Jontre Kirklin, it is an incredibly impressive feat for Devonta Lee to have taken the field at all.
Many expected big things ahead for the athletic Adonis:
The Pride of Fluker, Louisiana was a massive, lengthy, strong, powerful, agile aerial weapon, and we already knew what he was capable of from Amite 2018, but due to injuries as well as other roster decisions, Lee wasn't able to receive enough opportunities in purple and gold, scoring just a single touchdown and a career high of 47 yards and 5 catches vs Central Michigan.
On January 14th 2022, shortly after the hiring of Brian Kelly & WRs Coacn Cortez Hankton, alongside the firing of longtime WRs Coach Mickey Joseph, Devonta Lee entered his name in the transfer portal, ending up at Louisiana Tech for a fresh start.
It was at LaTech where the unthinkable was found:
During an offseason workout, Lee was in agony, doubling over in pain, sometimes to the point of tears, telling staff he was experiencing severe back pain.
Coaches instinctively knew something wasn't right, and further tests revealed Lee was suffering from a cancer called osteosarcoma, a cancer in the bones.
Two surgeries...
Seven weeks of radiation treatment...
Ten weeks of chemotherapy....
Devonta Lee went through it all like a champion, fighting like a Tiger, and actually winning the war and ringing the remission bell in early 2024.
Then cancer-free, Lee even pulled off an impressive, emotionally charged return to the field that fall, catching 2 passes for 17 yards vs Mizzou, while LATech's offensive staff wisely used their star man sparingly after a year out fighting cancer, slowly working him back to health for a strong 2 year push to end his college career.
However, 2024, the year where he beat cancer, would become his final season playing the game he loved...the career path he gave everything to achieve...
The cancer returned, Lee's situation worsened over the next year, and ultimately, Devonta passed away on February 26th, 2026, forever cast in the role of fighter, champion, forever LSU Tiger....and most of all, teammate...brother....son.
THIS AREA👇👇 WILL BE CONTINUALLY UPDATED W/ MORE EXCLUSIVE QUOTES FROM THOSE WHO LOVED & ADMIRED THE LATE DEVONTA LEE. 👇👇
"Great young man. Great human being. Competitor. Warrior for life. Fought hard for everything. Fluker legend. Kind hearted. Truly a loss for this world."
-Sherman Wilson, former LSU recruiting specialist & assistant while Lee was at Amite.
"...He was the best , energetic and passionate about everything he did. A bright light in everyone’s lives and day.❤️🪽❤️ ..." --Jack Bech, 2021 LSU teammate
He was such a positive guy, a hard worker, he loved his family and wanted to provide for them. Anybody around him could see what great energy he had. -Zach Von Rosenberg, 2019-2021 teammate
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
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