Kent State Football: Freshman OT Tyler Heintz dies after summer drills

A Kent State football player, Tyler Heintz, passed away following conditioning drills on Tuesday morning.

It’s the news you never want to hear. On Tuesday morning, Kent State incoming freshman offensive tackle Tyler Heintz passed away following a conditioning drill.

While an official statement from the school states that the cause of death is still unknown, the recent Midwest heatwave may have played a major role in his passing. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first case of a player passing away due to a potential heat stroke, nor will it be the last.

This is a tough pill to swallow no matter who the passing player is. The two-star recruit from Kenton, Ohio, had dreams of playing Division 1 college football, but they were cut short tragically. He was joining a program that needed some depth at just about every position and he was attempting to push for early playing time.

For this to be happening in the first couple weeks of summer workouts, it must send a message to the rest of the nation’s college football programs. In this heat, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The school’s statement reads:

"Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Tyler’s family and friends, as well as Coach Haynes and the team, our athletics staff and our student-athletes."

Although he was still a freshman who barely had time to get to know his teammates, he will be in everyone’s minds this season.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Way-too-early edition

Heintz was set to study marketing and entrepreneurship in the fall. Gone far too soon.