Former NFL Quarterback Ryan Mallett Dead After Drowning Accident

Former Arkansas Razorback quarterback Ryan Mallett has died at the age of 35.

According to KTHV, Mallett was vacationing in Destin, Florida, with his girlfriend when he got caught in a rip tide and drowned Tuesday (June 27). He was transported from the beach to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The news was confirmed by Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in a post made to Facebook. The post states that a drowning claimed the life of a tourist, later confirmed to be Mallett, in the Gulf of Mexico. Paramedics responded to a call shortly after 2 p.m.

First responders were called to the beach behind 775 Gulf Shore Drive in Destin around 2:12 p.m. They reported that several people near a sandbar had been trying to make their way back to shore when an adult male went under and was rescued by lifeguards. He was not breathing when brought to shore and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Mallett, who graduated from Texarkana Texas High School, was ranked the #4 overall player in the country at the end of his high school career. He first went to college in Michigan for one season, but transferred to Arkansas for the 2009-2010 seasons.

Following his successful college career at Arkansas, Mallett was picked up by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Mallett played for the Patriots from 2011-14 before transferring to the Houston Texans in 2014-15. His final seasons with the NFL were with the Baltimore Ravens from 2015-2017.

Ryan Mallett had been serving as head football coach at White Hall High School in Arkansas.