Former Sacramento State University football player Ivan Garza has died after he was struck by a vehicle in his hometown of Delano, California. He was 25.

Garza, a former offensive lineman for the Sacramento State Hornets, was hit in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 8, while crossing the street, according to CBS News. A vehicle traveling north struck him, and the crash remains under investigation.

His death has left his family, former teammates, coaches, and hometown community mourning a young man remembered as much for his heart as for his size and talent.

“Rest in peace, Ivan Garza,” the Hornets wrote in an Instagram tribute on Thursday, July 9. “We give our deepest condolences to Ivan’s friends and family. He will be remembered as a wonderful teammate, player, and Hornet.”

The school’s post also shared a GoFundMe created to help Garza’s mother, Sandra, with funeral costs and the “financial challenges that come with such a devastating tragedy.”

As of Friday, July 10, the fundraiser had raised more than $25,000.

“Ivan will be remembered for the person he was,” the GoFundMe description reads. “A gentle giant with a kind heart, an infectious smile, and a genuine love for his family, friends, teammates, and everyone fortunate enough to know him.”

The fundraiser described Garza’s death as the result of a “hit-and-run accident.” However, that detail has not been confirmed by authorities. CBS News reported that the driver stayed at the scene and was cooperative with investigators.

Garza’s aunt, Sonia Garza, told local CBS affiliate KBAK that her nephew made a powerful impression on everyone around him.

“Nobody knows such a big guy with such a big heart,” she said. “He was a great mentor to everybody. He was a big guy, so everybody automatically looked up to him. And then when they saw that he was good, they looked up to him even more.”

Garza enrolled at Sacramento State in 2019 and redshirted during his first year. His second season was lost when the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out play, but he finally took the field for the Hornets in 2021.

He went on to play three seasons for Sacramento State.

Before his college career, Garza was a standout athlete at Robert F. Kennedy High School in Delano. He played four years of varsity football and also competed in basketball and track and field.

His high school honored him in a Facebook tribute, calling him a symbol of what young athletes from smaller communities can accomplish.

“He was a success story out of RFK and Delano as a whole,” the school wrote. “He showed that big things can come from small places. His heart was as huge as his size. Rest easy young man, you are at peace.”

Garza’s former RFK head coach, Mario Millan, said the young athlete helped build the program’s legacy.

“He was a phenomenal student, a phenomenal athlete, earned himself the first Division I scholarship out of Delano, I think, ever,” Millan said.

In a separate interview with ABC, Millan remembered Garza as someone who carried joy even when life was difficult.

“Whether school was hard, as a teenager social life was hard, football was hard, whatever it may be, he always had a smile, he always laughed,” the coach said.

Garza’s death marks a heartbreaking loss for the Delano community and for the football family that watched him grow from a local high school standout into a Division I athlete.