Former Ole Miss football player Luke Knox, brother of Bills TE Dawson Knox, has died at 22

Nick Suss, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read
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Luke Knox, a former Ole Miss football tight end and linebacker who transferred to FIU this offseason, has died, according to an announcement from FIU coach Mike MacIntyre on Thursday morning.

He was 22.

"Words cannot express the heartfelt sorrow we feel because of the passing of our teammate and friend Luke Knox," MacIntyre said in a school release. "I had the honor of coaching Luke at Ole Miss and FIU. While I admired his passion for football, his genuine love for his family and teammates is what I will always remember. He had a special way of making everyone around him feel comfortable and confident. Luke's family is special to me, and they will continually be in my heart and prayers during this difficult time."

Ole Miss football has not yet issued a statement.

Knox, a former star at Brentwood Academy in Nashville, played at Ole Miss from 2018-21. He redshirted in 2018, playing in one game, before emerging as a contributor at linebacker in 2019 when MacIntyre was the Rebels' defensive coordinator. He made 10 tackles, two for loss, with two pass breakups as a redshirt freshman. He only made one tackle in 2020 and did not record any stats after converting to tight end before the 2021 season.

Knox's older brother Dawson played at Ole Miss from 2016-18 and has since emerged as a star tight end for the Buffalo Bills.

Bills coach Sean McDermott addressed Knox's death at his press conference Thursday.

"Our hearts go out to Dawson and his family during this time," McDermott said. "We're right there with him supporting him and his family. It's just tragic news. We love him and we support him and it's just unfortunate news this morning."

An outpour of support for Knox and his family has begun coming in from some of Knox's former Ole Miss teammates and coaches. Former Rebels Tariqious Tisdale, Jacquez Jones, Keidron Smith, Lakia Henry and Austrian Robinson as well as coach Tyrone Nix are among those who shared thoughts and memories about Knox on Twitter Thursday morning.

Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Luke Knox dies: Former Ole Miss football player was 22