Brian Cole Butler, a rising sophomore at the University, was killed in a single-car accident Sunday morning in Jackson County, according to officials with the Georgia State Patrol.

Butler, who went by his middle name, was driving in his hometown of Commerce when he apparently lost control of his car and slammed into a tree. He died as a result of his injuries, and officials, while not knowing the cause of the crash, said alcohol did not play a role.

A Facebook site, Remembering Cole Butler, has been set up. “Cole Butler was loved by many and was taken from us too soon,” Whitney Howard wrote on the site. “For those who knew you and others who did not you will be dearly missed but never forgotten!”

Access North Georgia contributed to this story