Texas A&M Freshman Killed In Car Crash: Three Dead Including Upcoming Utah Freshman, 'He Was A Wonderful Son'

A Texas A&M football player killed in car crash with two others in New Mexico, which included a soon-to-be Utah football player as well on Tuesday.

The Texas A&M football player was redshirted freshman Polo Manukainiu. He was a 19-year-old defensive lineman for the Aggies, while 18-year-old Utah recruit Gaius Vaeuku was also killed in the car crash.

Both schools made the announcement of the accident that involved their separate players and three people were in the car that rolled over in what was a single-car crash.

The wreck happened Monday evening on U.S. 550 near Cuba, N.M., about 85 miles north of Albuquerque, as the group of five, which two survived, was returning from Salt Lake City to suburban Dallas, where three of them had ties to prep football power Trinity High School in Euless, according to Sports Illustrated.

"We lost a terrific young man,'' Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin told S.I. "Polo was loved by his teammates and coaches. Anyone who came in contact with him was struck by his sense of humor and smile. My heart aches for his mom and family members.''

The compassion for Vaeuku wasn't much different than for Manukainiu.

"Everyone who knew Gaius is heartbroken today,'' Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told S.I. "He was the kind of young man who lit up a room and his future in football and life had no boundaries. Words cannot express our devastation over the loss of Gaius.''

The southbound 2002 Toyota Sequoia drifted off the sagebrush-lined highway, New Mexico State Police spokesman Emmanuel T. Gutierrez said in a statement. The driver was 18-year-old Siaosi Salesi Uhatafe Jr. of Euless. He over-corrected, which caused the vehicle to lose control and roll several times.

Cela Vaenuku, the mother of Gaius said the last time she spoke to him was on Sunday. It was a brief conversation on how he had spent his day.

"He was a wonderful son,'' she said. "He was very social, very outgoing young man and a people person who always made people laugh.''