"Horrible news": CFB world stands shocked as former Ohio State OL Ben Christman passes away at age 21

Ben Christman has passed away at age 21. On Wednesday, Eleven Warriors' Josh Poloha reported that he died in his apartment in Las Vegas, Nevada, which the Clark County Coroner's Office confirmed on Wednesday.

Fans have expressed their condolences on social media following the news of Christman's passing.

"Horrible news. Prayers and condolences to his family," a fan wrote.

"That's incredibly sad news. Prayers to his family," another fan said.

"This is horrible. So young with his entire life ahead. May God embrace him," a fan replied.

Several others further expressed their shock:

"I remember when Ben committed and how pumped he was to be a buckeye :/ RIP," a fan commented.

"Prayers to his family way too young to go," another fan wrote.

"Lost an ohio born legend too soon man (broken heart emoji)," a fan replied.

Ben Christman's career in college football

Ben Christman was born in Akron, Ohio, as the son of Brian and Karen Christman. He went to Revere High School, playing football, basketball and track and field.

He started his college career as an offensive lineman for the Ohio State Buckeyes. According to Ohio State's website, Christman was in the 2021 recruiting class and considered a four-star prospect. He was redshirted during the 2021 season when the team finished with an 11-2 record. The following season, he played in the Buckeyes' dominant 56-14 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Nov. 12, 2022.

The former four-star prospect entered the transfer portal to join the Kentucky Wildcats for the 2023 season. He was inactive for his sophomore year due to a knee injury. He returned to action for the Wildcats to play in all games last season, as the team finished with a 4-8 record.

On Dec. 6, the offensive lineman shared that he would leave Kentucky with two years left of eligibility in college football via X.

"I have decided to put my name into the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with two years eligibility remaining. Thank you to all my teammates, coaches and staff at UK for 2 seasons as part of the Big Blue Nation," Christman wrote.

On Dec. 27, he confirmed via X that he had transferred to the UNLV Rebels for the 2025 season. The move would've allowed him to reunite with Mike Sollenne, the UNLV offensive lineman coach. They both were on the 2022 Ohio State roster when Sollenne was an assistant offensive lineman coach.

His cause of death has yet to be revealed at this time.