Former Maryland football player Isaiah Hazell was killed along with two other people in a nighttime car crash, according to a Maryland State Police news release. Hazell was 23 years old.
The University of Maryland football department released a statement on Site X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “The entire University of Maryland football organization mourns the loss of former University of Maryland professional player Isaiah Hazell. Our thoughts and prayers are with Isaiah's family, loved ones and all those involved in last night's tragic accident.”
Hazel died along with Kylee Jackson and Anthony Litton Jr. Jackson played at the University of Alabama and the University of Oregon and was recently selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft. Litton played at Florida State and Penn State. The three were teammates at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro.
The Wise athletic department released a statement on X saying, “The Dr. Henry A. Wise Athletic Department sends condolences to the family and mourns the loss of Kylee Jackson (State Championship '17, 2016), Anthony Litton Jr. (AJ) (State Championship '18, 2015, '16, '17) and Isaiah Hazell (State Championship '19, 2015, '16, '17). #OnceAPumaAlwaysAPuma.”
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According to reports, the accident happened northbound on Route 4/Pennsylvania Avenue. Hazel was driving the vehicle with Jackson and Litton when it was struck by a driver traveling at a high rate of speed. The vehicle veered off the side of the road and came to a stop after striking several tree stumps. Maryland State Police are investigating the accident.
Hazell recently spent one season with Charlotte before playing for the Terps from 2019-2022. He appeared in 39 games, initially playing as a receiver before switching to defensive back.
Hazell's most productive seasons at Maryland came as a junior and senior year, when he recorded 33 total tackles, including five tackles and two tackles for loss against Michigan in 2022. He started eight of Charlotte's 12 games last season.
According to 247Sports, Hazell was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in the 2019 class and was coach Michael Locksley's second-highest commit that cycle, in a class that also included Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross and New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks.