A Texas State University football player died Wednesday after collapsing on the field during a practice with his team, according to TSU coach Rod Reed.

Freshman William Wayne Jones III, 19, was taken to Baptist Hospital were he was pronounced de

The Detroit Free Press reported that the defensive back caught a football toward the beginning of Tigers' practice, which began a little after 4 p.m., and was returning it to defensive backs coach Ed Sanders when he suddenly collapsed.

"We didn't think it was anything serious, but the trainers checked on him right away," Reed said.

When trainers checked Jones, they found him unconscious and with no pulse. Though they tried to revive him while waiting for an ambulance, the freshman player was pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m. The cause of death has not been identified yet, according to WebProNews.

A prayer service was held at the school's Eliot Hall on Thursday for Jones.

Reed said pre-existing conditions indicating Jones' health was at risk, the Press added. The last time Jones was on the field for a game was last Thursday, Nov. 1, and TSU does not play again until Nov. 17. The coach called Jones "a real feisty little guy and the kind of kid you want on your football team."

"This is a very tragic day for our entire Tennessee State University community and we are devastated by the sudden passing of this young man," Athletics director Teresa Phillips said in a released statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time. Our university and our football team are hurting as we feel the loss of one of our own."