LSU’s Brian Kelly mourns death of Kyren Lacy, remembers him as a ‘bright star’

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — LSU football head coach Brian Kelly spoke highly of former Tigers wide receiver Kyren Lacy after the NFL draft hopeful died over the weekend in Houston.

Lacy, 24, was found dead by Harris County deputies from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police chase. His death has been mourned by the sports community and his coach of three seasons, Kelly.

Kelly described Lacy as a “bright star” who was a football player with “an incredible personality.” He said he’ll remember him as someone who had a love for football and being an LSU Tiger and used “great emotion” to play.

“When you think of Kyren, you’re going to smile most of the time because of the way he handled himself. He was, he was a guy that was full of energy, and I think a lot of his teammates will remember him that way as well,” Kelly said.

In his final season of LSU football, Lacy caught 58 passes for 866 yards and nine touchdowns.

Lacy’s father, Kenny Lacy, told parents to have conversations about mental health with their children in an April 13 Facebook post. He said, “Mental health is real, and for the most part, it’s invisible. don’t ignore the signs, even if they may seem small.”

Before his death, the Thibodaux native faced uncertainty regarding his future playing in the NFL after he was charged in connection with a December 2024 crash in Lafourche Parish that left an elderly man dead. He denied wrongdoing in a February 2025 statement issued through his attorney.

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