UNLV OL Ben Christman dies at age 21

UNLV senior offensive lineman Ben Christman, a recent transfer who played at Ohio State and Kentucky, has died. He was 21.

UNLV said Christman was found dead in an off-campus apartment on Tuesday morning. The university said it had no further details, and that the Clark County Coroner's Office would determine a cause of death.

"Our team's heart is broken to hear of Ben's passing," UNLV football coach Dan Mullen said in a statement from the university. "Since the day Ben set foot on our campus a month ago, he made the Rebels a better program. Ben was an easy choice for our Leadership Committee as he had earned the immediate respect, admiration and friendship of all his teammates. Our prayers go out to his family and all who knew him. Ben made the world a better place and he will be missed."

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Christman graduated from Kentucky in December with a degree in communications. He appeared in all 12 games last season on special teams for the Wildcats.

Christman, a native of Akron, Ohio, enrolled at Ohio State, redshirted in 2021 and played one game in 2022. He transferred to Kentucky in the spring of 2023 and missed the entire season due to knee injury. He was the top-ranked offensive lineman in Ohio as a four-star prospect out of Revere High School in Richfield.

UNLV director of athletics Erick Harper said counseling services are being provided.

"There is little that can be said to lessen the pain of suddenly losing a member of our university family at such a young age, and my heart breaks for all who knew and loved him," UNLV president Keith E. Whitfield said in a statement. "On behalf of UNLV, our sincere condolences are with Ben's family, friends, loved ones, and teammates during this very difficult time."

--Field Level Media