Coroner IDs UNLV football player found dead at off-campus home

A UNLV football player was found dead Tuesday at his off-campus residence on the eve of his 22nd birthday.

The Clark County coroner’s office on Wednesday identified the player as Ben Christman. He was a senior transfer who had played on the offensive line the past two seasons for Kentucky. He was also part of the Ohio State program for two seasons.

The coroner’s office said the cause and manner of death are pending.

“This is an extremely difficult day for our athletics department and the university community,” UNLV said Tuesday in a statement.

Christman, an Akron, Ohio, native, was born Feb. 12, 2003, according to his recruiting profiles. He was one of new UNLV coach Dan Mullen’s first transfer portal signees.

“We wanted big, fast, strong and talented,” Mullen said as he unveiled his recruiting class Feb. 5.

At 6 feet, 6 inches and 325 pounds, Christman fit that description. A three-sport athlete at Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio, he was also a starting center in basketball and a track and field thrower. By his senior year, his football stardom made him the top-rated offensive lineman in Ohio.

In his short time at UNLV, Christman had established himself as a prominent voice for the team, according to statements the program issued Wednesday morning from Mullen, UNLV president Keith Whitfield and athletic director Erick Harper.

“Our team’s heart is broken to hear of Ben’s passing. Since the day Ben set foot on our campus a month ago, he made the Rebels a better program,” Mullen said. “Ben was an easy choice for our leadership committee, as he had earned the immediate respect, admiration and friendship of all his teammates. Our prayers go out to his family and all who knew him. Ben made the world a better place, and he will be missed.”

The university is providing counseling services to those impacted by Christman’s death, Harper said.

Christman graduated from Kentucky in December with a communications degree. Two of his former teammates reacted to the news of his death via X.com.

“This can’t be real. Not Big Ben. RIP to one of the nicest dudes I’ve ever been around,” Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston wrote.

Former Kentucky defensive back Jaremiah Anglin Jr. offered a similar sentiment, calling Christman “one of the realest and most genuine encouraging (people),” he’s ever encountered.

Christman is the second UNLV football player to die in the past two years. Defensive lineman Ryan Keeler died in February 2023. The 20-year-old, who had just completed his redshirt freshman season with the Rebels, was found unresponsive in his studio apartment in Las Vegas. The coroner’s office determined that Keeler’s death was caused by a natural cardiac issue.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X. Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.