UNLV offensive lineman Ben Christman’s February death was due to a heart issue.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office said Thursday that Christman died of heart disease and an irregular heartbeat. Christman was found dead at his apartment on Feb. 11. He was set to turn 22 on Feb. 12.
According to an incident report after his death, Christman said that he was experiencing chest pains the day before. He visited the team’s cardiologist and had an EKG but was told that everything looked normal. He was discovered at his apartment by teammates who went to check on him after he wasn’t at practice on Feb. 11.
“Our team’s heart is broken to hear of Ben’s passing,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said in a statement after his death. “Since the day Ben set foot on our campus a month ago, he made the Rebels a better program. Ben was an easy choice for our Leadership Committee as he had earned the immediate respect, admiration and friendship of all his teammates.”
Before transferring to UNLV in the offseason, Christman spent two seasons at Ohio State and two seasons at Kentucky. He was with the Buckeyes for the 2021 and 2022 seasons and then transferred to Lexington, where he appeared in 12 games over two seasons. He was an Ohio native and four-star recruit in the high school class of 2021.
On social media Friday morning, former Ohio State quarterback and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit advocated for all college physicals to include echocardiograms. His son Zak, a walk-on at Ohio State, was hospitalized in 2023 and diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. In his post, Herbstreit said that a heart replacement was even discussed for Zak but that his condition has improved over the past two years.
“A mandated echo could help save lives,” Herbstreit wrote. “It’s time for the NCAA and conference commissioners to take a look at this. Love to be involved.”
