AKRON — Tyler Heintz, a 2017 graduate of Kenton High School, died Tuesday after a morning workout at Kent State University, according to published reports.
Heintz is the son of Shelly and Chris Heintz, of Lakeview.
The incoming freshman, a member of the KSU’s 2017 recruiting class, was a 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive tackle.
The 19-year-old was on campus this week along with other team members taking summer classes and working out, according to published reports.
Dr. Dean DePerro, Portage County coroner, said Heintz collapsed about 9 a.m. and was taken to University Hospitals Portage Medical Center in Ravenna after efforts to revive him failed.
KSU officials said Heintz had been participating in football conditioning drills at Dix Stadium.
He was pronounced dead at 11:34 a.m. DePerro said Heintz’s body will be transported to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for a postmortem Wednesday morning.
When a young person dies under these circumstances, DePerro said, “no stone will be left unturned; a complete autopsy will be done.”
He said it might take several weeks to figure out the cause of death and the autopsy is just “one piece of the puzzle.”
Heitz’s high school tweeted out condolences to its former player. Kenton is in Hardin County in west central Ohio.
“Tyler Heintz passed away after a Kent State workout today Shocked and bewildered is all we can say. Pray for his family,” reads a Kenton Football 2017 tweet posted about 5:30 p.m.
KSU expressed its condolences in a statement released Tuesday evening.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Tyler’s family and friends, as well as Coach [Paul] Haynes and the team, our athletics staff and our student-athletes,” the statement said.
“[Tyler] planned to study marketing and entrepreneurship in the College of Business Administration,” it continued, adding that he “was recruited as a rising star on our offensive line.”
Heintz is the second KSU football player in recent years to die following a workout.
Jason Bitsko, 21, of Huber Heights, died in his sleep of an enlarged heart in his off-campus apartment on Aug. 20, 2014.
He was the team’s starting center.
