Tennessee safety Todd Kelly Jr. is switching his uniform number from 6 to 24 this season to honor Zaevion Dobson, a Knoxville high school football player who was shot to death last year while shielding two girls from gunfire.
Kelly, who is from Knoxville, tweeted Monday that he is honored to wear No. 24 and that Dobson's "legacy lives on and will never be forgotten."
Dobson wore No. 24 at Fulton High School.
The 15-year-old sophomore died Dec. 17 while protecting friends from a shooting. Knoxville police said the girls shielded by Dobson were unhurt.
In the days after Dobson's death, President Barack Obama sent a tweet praising the teen's actions. Dobson received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs last month.
