Ex-Mississippi State football player found dead in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The death of a former Mississippi State football player whose body was found in an Alabama home Tuesday is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said.

Birmingham police told news outlets that De’Runnya Wilson, 25, was found unresponsive inside a south-side Birmingham home by a relative Tuesday evening.

Birmingham Police Sgt. Johnny Williams said Wilson’s death is being investigated as a homicide. A cause of death wasn’t immediately released.

Wilson played football for Wenonah High School in Birmingham. He went on to become a wide receiver at Mississippi State alongside future Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott from 2013 through 2015, finishing his career with 22 touchdowns, the second-most receiving touchdowns in school history. He left school early to enter the NFL draft but went undrafted. He later spent time on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad.

The investigation is ongoing.