Jaden Hullaby, former Texas, New Mexico college football player, dies at age 21

Jaden Hullaby, a former college football player at the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas, has died at age 21, the schools confirmed on social media Monday.

“It’s such devastating and tragic news to hear of Jaden’s passing,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement posted to Twitter by the school’s football program. “He was a great person and someone we all enjoyed being around, coaching and spending time with.”

Hullaby’s younger brother, Landon, also wrote a message on Twitter about his loss, sharing a few photos with the athlete.

“Forever living through you big brudda I love you so much,” Landon, who is also a college football athlete, wrote. “I got you and the family forever I swear get your rest King LLJAY.”

Both the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas offered messages of condolences and support for Hullaby’s family in their statements.

While the circumstances of his death have not been revealed, one of Hullaby’s family members tweeted that he was “missing” on Sunday, adding that his family had not heard from him since May 18 and that the football player was last seen in the Dallas area.

Hullaby was originally recruited to the University of Texas in 2020, where he played two games. He spent the 2022 season with the University of New Mexico, where he played as the running back and tight end and finished the season with 13 carries for 59 yards, according to CBS Sports.

He reentered the transfer portal in December and was yet to commit to a new team, CBS Sports reported.