Jeremiah Kelly dies at 18: Cincinnati mourns sudden death of freshman football player

Morgan Moriarty

•
Jeremiah Kelly dies at 18: Cincinnati mourns sudden death of freshman football player image

The Cincinnati Bearcats football team is mourning the unexpected passing of one of its freshman players, Jeremiah Kelly. 

On Tuesday, the team, including head coach Scott Satterfield, announced that Kelly, an offensive lineman, "unexpectedly passed" at his residence early Tuesday morning. 

Kelly was a true freshman who enrolled at Cincinnati this past spring.

📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

Here's everything we know about Kelly's passing, what Cincinnati has said about the news and more. 

Jeremiah Kelly death

Cincinnati released a presser on Tuesday confirming the tragic news of Kelly's death. 

"The Bearcats football family is heartbroken by the sudden loss of this outstanding young man," Bearcats coach Satterfield said in a statement. "In the short time Jeremiah has spent with our team, he has made a real impact, both on the field and in our locker room. My prayers are with the Kelly family and those who had the pleasure of knowing Jeremiah."

Kelly, who was a native of Avon, Ohio, was part of Cincy's 2025 recruiting class. He was a 3-star prospect, per 247Sports, and ranked as the No. 78 player from the state of Ohio.

The Bearcats' press release added that Kelly helped lead his alma mater, Avon High School, to a 16-0 record and state championship as a senior in 2024. He also was a first-team all-conference and all-district lineman that season, and was named the SWC Lineman of the Year during his senior year. 

"We've suffered a heartbreaking loss today," UC Athletic Director John Cunningham added. "All of us at UC send our love and prayers to the Kelly family and we will do everything that we can to support them and our Bearcats student-athletes in the difficult days and weeks ahead."

Cincinnati had just completed spring football practice last week. 

Several Avon High School accounts released statements of the news of Kelly's shocking passing: 

Jeremiah Kelly cause of death

At the time, Kelly's cause of death is not known. 

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.  

Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty joined The Sporting News as a content producer in the fall of 2024. Her sports journalism career started at the University of Florida in 2012, where she graduated in 2015. She has covered college football and basketball, the NFL and numerous other major sports for outlets like the Tampa Bay Times, Saturday Down South, UPROXX Sports and SB Nation. She also covers college football for Bleacher Report, and is a featured guest on various CNN programs.