Community college football player Emanuell Cooks died from medical complications after a football game in Mississippi this week.
Cooks’ death was announced in a statement released by Mississippi Delta Community College (MDCC) on Friday.
Cooks of Elba, Alabama, was a freshman offensive lineman, according to his profile on MDCC’s website.
Cooks died after playing a game against Hinds Community College in Raymond on Thursday.
The college’s statement does not specify Cooks’ cause of death.
“Our entire Trojan family is devastated by this loss,” MDCC President Steven Jones said in a press release. “At this time, our deepest thoughts and prayers are with Emanuell’s family, teammates, coaches, and friends. We will come together as a community to support one another through this tragedy.”
The college is offering support services to students, faculty and staff.
In a statement released Friday, Hinds Community College President Stephen Vacik called Cooks’ death “a sobering reminder how precious our time here on earth really is.”
Cooks is the latest college or high school athlete to die in 2025.
Corey Adams, a freshman with the Ole Miss Rebels football team, was killed in a shooting in Tennessee in July, officials said. He was 18.
Cincinnati freshman offensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly died unexpectedly at 18 years old this past April.
Meanwhile, Hadden Kelly, a 17-year-old high school golfer, died in Georgia Monday after suddenly collapsing in a yard, Dodge County Coroner Joe Smith confirmed this week.
DePaul University announced the death of Chase Stegall, son of former NFL player Milton Stegall, in early June. The student-run newspaper, The DePaulia, reported at the time that Stegall had been found dead “in his residence hall on the university’s Lincoln Park campus.” He was 20.