Former Ohio State offensive lineman Ben Christman, who transferred to UNLV this offseason, was found dead Tuesday at an off-campus apartment in Las Vegas.
Christman, an Akron native and four-star recruit in the class of 2021, spent two seasons with the Buckeyes before transferring to Kentucky. After playing the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Wildcats, he left to UNLV in December for what was to be his final collegiate campaign. Sadly, Christman never had the chance to suit up for the Rebels.
On Tuesday, UNLV announced in a statement that an unnamed member of the football team was found dead at their off-campus residence, calling it “an extremely difficult day for our athletics department and the university community.” The school has since been confirmed that the player wad Christman.
“Our team’s heart is broken to hear of Ben’s passing,” UNLV head coach Dan Mullen said in a statement. “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.”
Christman redshirted his first season at Ohio State before appearing in one game in 2022.
He missed the entire 2023 season at Kentucky with a knee injury but played in all 12 games for the Wildcats in 2024, primarily on special teams.
“Rest easy brotha @BenChristman_ A good soul gone too soon,” tweeted former Ohio State and Florida linebacker Teradja Mitchell.
UNLV Football mourns passing of student-athlete Ben Christmanhttps://t.co/9W5cIfXtHU pic.twitter.com/2qBlz1D11U
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) February 12, 2025
As of now, no cause of death has been provided. We’re assuming more details will continue to leak out in the coming days.
For now, we’d just like to extend our condolences to Christman’s family, friends and teammates, both past and current. This is a terrible tragedy.
Rest in peace, Ben.
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