Former Ole Miss LB/TE Luke Knox, brother of Dawson Knox, has died at 22

Luke Knox, a former Ole Miss football tight end and linebacker who transferred to FIU this offseason, has died, the university said Thursday.

He was 22.

Knox was hospitalized Wednesday night in Miami and died later that evening, school officials said.

The cause was not revealed, though the university said police do not suspect foul play.

"Words cannot express the heartfelt sorrow we feel because of the passing of our teammate and friend Luke Knox," FIU coach Mike 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."

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Knox, a former star at Brentwood Academy in Nashville, played at Ole Miss from 2018-21.

"There are heavy hearts throughout our football team after the pass of Luke Knox," Ole Miss coach Kiffin said. "I am very grateful for my personal relationship and time spent with Luke. He was a tremendous teammate and an even better person who lifted up everyone around him. The Knox family means so much to the Ole Miss family, and our players, staff and the rest of the university extend our deepest sympathies to all those that were touched by Luke's spirit. I know he is with God now."

Knox 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 made only one tackle in 2020 and did not record any stats after converting to tight end before the 2021 season.

Brentwood Academy issued the following statement about Knox: "We are incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Luke Knox. Luke was a faithful friend, a diligent student, and an ideal teammate. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Knox family and his many loved ones who mean so much to our BA community."

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 news 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 outpouring of support for Knox and his family has begun coming in from some of Knox's former Ole Miss teammates and coaches. Former Rebels Matt Corral, 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.

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

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Former Ole Miss football LB/TE Luke Knox has died at 22