One month after his Pro Day outing at UAlbany, the NFL Draft prospect and Former Albany defensive lineman AJ Simon passed away at the age of 25.
The school announced on Wednesday, former defensive end for the University at Albany Simon have passed, and the cause of Simon’s death wasn’t initially revealed.
Former Albany DE AJ Simon has passed away at 25 years old 💔
Just heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/WLwslAOWAJ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 17, 2024
Albany posted a statement posted to X with the caption “Forever a Great Dane”, they wrote,
“The UAlbany football program was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former student-athlete Amitral ‘AJ’ Simon this morning. AJ was a tremendous young man and even better teammate throughout his time at UAlbany. He was a role model both on and off the field, serving as a pillar to this program over the last two years.”
Absolutely tragic: Albany pass rusher AJ Simon, who was considered a potential draft pick, has passed away.
Simon was a fun player to study and the coaches raved about him on and off the field. Thoughts and prayers to his family. https://t.co/BjLscka23e
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 17, 2024
Even though no official report has confirmed or have been released, however according to a DraftScout contributor, the cause of Simon’s death was a heart attack.
Simon is a 2023 All-CAA first-team defensive selection, from Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. He played the past two seasons for Albany after beginning his collegiate career at Bloomsburg University.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler have ranked him as the 36th-best edge-rusher in the 2024 draft class. He played 24 games over the past two seasons for the Great Danes, recording 32 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks during his college career.
In the latest NFL draft rankings from ESPN’s Matt Miller, Simon was ranked as the 448th prospect who had 12.5 sacks last season for Albany.
Albany head coach Greg Gattuso also posted his condolences on X,
“My prayers are dedicated to the Simon family. I love you, AJ and will always have a special place in my heart for #8.”
The Great Danes won the CAA conference title for the first time last season, their first conference championship since 2012.
