According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who went on to enjoy a seven-year career in the NFL, passed away on Tuesday in what is being investigated as a possible drowning incident at a beach in Florida. He was 35.
According to the sheriff’s office, emergency personnel was dispatched to a beach in Destin, Florida, at approximately 2:12 p.m. local time, as a group of persons who were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico along a sandbar attempted but were unsuccessful in returning to shore. When he was hauled out of the water, one of the individuals, who was later identified as Mallett, was not breathing. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead after being treated for his injuries.
“It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Coach Ryan Mallett,” the White Hall school system in Arkansas, where Mallett coached high school football, stated in a note on its website after learning of Mallett’s passing away. “Coach Mallett was revered for his work as an educator and coach. We ask that you keep his family, the team he was on, the youngsters he coached, and the staff at the White Hall School District in your prayers.
Before moving to the University of Arkansas, where he played for two seasons and threw for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns, Mallett spent one season playing college football for the University of Michigan. In 2009, while he was still a redshirt sophomore, he led the Razorbacks to an 8-5 record and a victory in the Liberty Bowl, both of which earned him offensive MVP honors for the game. This was under the direction of coach Bobby Petrino.
His greatest season was in 2010 when he finished with a completion percentage of 64.7 and passed for 3,869 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. For this performance, he was named to the second team of All-SEC for the second consecutive year. In the voting for the Heisman Trophy in 2010, he received a seventh-place finish.
“We are shocked and saddened by the passing of Ryan Mallett,” the football program for the University of Arkansas said in a statement that was tweeted out. “He was a Razorback legend with talent that was larger than life and a personality to match,” said a former teammate. He guided our team to some of the most memorable and successful moments in our program’s recent history. Everyone who had the privilege of knowing him will grieve his passing. We are keeping his mother Debbie and the rest of his extended family in our thoughts and prayers.
Mallett was chosen by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft, which took place at overall position 74. The decision to pick Mallett as one of Tom Brady’s backup quarterbacks was made after the team’s head coach, Bill Belichick, stated at the time that the team could never have enough depth at the quarterback position.
Belichick had noted at the time, “We just felt like he was a good player,” “He has triumphed in every environment he has competed in, including high school and college. Conversations with him are always interesting.
Before being taken by the Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft, Ryan Mallett spent two years as the starting quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks, during which time he threw for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Belichick went into detail about how the Patriots had studied Mallett’s collegiate career, beginning when he was a student at Michigan in 2007 and continuing when he transferred to Arkansas due to a new offensive scheme being implemented by the Wolverines coaching staff. During Mallett’s time at Arkansas, Belichick observed how effectively the quarterback played in a pro-style offense run by Petrino. In 2011, Belichick said of Mallett, “He’s pretty far along relative to some other quarterbacks we’ve seen.”
Belichick expressed his condolences to Mallett’s family and the “many people whose lives he touched” in a statement he released on Tuesday. He said he was “extremely saddened by Ryan’s tragic passing.” Belichick said he will be thinking about and praying for Mallett’s family.
In a statement on social media, Brady penned the following: “We lost a fantastic man. I want to express my gratitude for everything, Ryan.
As a result of Brady’s longevity and the fact that he seldom comes out of games, Mallett only played a total of 24 plays while serving as a backup to Brady in New England. After being traded to the Houston Texans prior to the start of the 2014 season, he spent parts of two seasons with the team before being let go in October 2015. During that time, he appeared in nine games and started six of those games. After that, he signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens, for whom he played a total of eight games but only started two of them through 2017.
“Ryan was a part of us,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in a tweet from the team. “We will miss him.” “I will never forget the love that he had for his teammates and how much he enjoyed making the most of and reveling in each and every football day while he was here.”
On November 16, 2014, Mallett made his debut start and led Houston to a victory away at Cleveland by a score of 23-7. His first career touchdown pass was to defensive end J.J. Watt and was for 2 yards.
Watt remarked on Twitter, “Horrible news to read about Ryan Mallett.” Mallett was the subject of the message. “Gone way too soon. Brother, may you finally find rest”
During his tenure in the NFL, Mallett participated in 21 games and started eight of those games. In the National Football League, he passed for 1,835 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 190 of his 345 attempts.
After starting his coaching career as an assistant at Mountain Home High School, Mallett moved up the coaching ranks to become the head football coach at White Hall High School in his home state of Arkansas in the year 2022.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Mallett said such words after he was given the position of head coach at White Hall. “I always knew I was going to coach,” he said. “It’s just something that comes easily to me. I understand it. I have an understanding of how everything operates, and on top of that, I adore football. You get the opportunity to educate children on the proper way to behave at an early age, and that is something that I find to be extremely enjoyable.
