College Football Player William Davis Died From Gunshot Wounds

William Davis, who was set to play football this season for Sam Houston State University in Texas after playing last season for West Virginia, died from gunshot wounds to the chest ... TMZ has learned.

Unclear if this is a homicide ... the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia, where William died, tells us the manner of death is pending.

As we reported ... SHSU announced William passed away Saturday, but there had been no details on a cause or manner of death.

William was entering what would have been his seventh season of college football. He started his college career at Division II Virginia Union, an HBCU, playing 36 games as a defensive back before transferring to WVU and appearing in one game last season for the Mountaineers.

He entered the transfer portal and committed in January to SHSU ... and went through spring practices at the school before returning home to Virginia for the summer.

William was only 22.