Brandon Everage, a safety on Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship team, drowned while swimming in a Texas river. He was 30.

Milam County Sheriff David Greene said in a news release that authorities were called to the Little River in the western part of the county on Friday evening. Friends said they had been swimming when Everage, a Granger resident, went under water and didn’t surface. A dive team recovered his body Saturday morning.

Everage was a reserve on Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship team and a starter on the 2003 team that had a shot at the BCS title before losing to LSU in the Sugar Bowl.

“Brandon was a favorite in the locker room and a favorite among the coaches. He played football with tremendous passion and had a special spark that inspired everyone,” coach Bob Stoops said in a statement. “We will always have fond memories of him. For now, though, we are deeply saddened for Brandon’s family.”