Liberty University freshman football player Tajh Boyd dies suddenly just weeks before his 20th birthday
- Boyd, 19, was preparing for his freshman year at Virginia Christian School
- A cause of death has not been revealed for the 6-foot-4, 295-pound lineman
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Tajh Boyd, a soccer player at Liberty University in Virginia, has died just weeks before his 20th birthday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes, Tajh Boyd,” head coach Jamey Chadwell and athletics director Ian McCaw announced in a statement from the department.
A cause of death has not been revealed for Boyd, a six-foot-tall college freshman from Chesapeake, Virginia.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Tajh’s family, his teammates and friends, our football coaching staff, as well as our entire athletic department and the broader Liberty University community. We grieve together as a family and seek guidance, comfort, and understanding from the Lord during these difficult times.”
Tajh Boyd, a soccer player at Liberty University, has passed away just weeks before his 20th birthday
Boyd’s new profile picture was posted on Aug. 2 — just days before he died suddenly at age 19
Boyd is pictured with his mother, Tanzania Belfield, after Liberty’s spring game in April
Boyd was heavily recruited from Oscar F. Smith High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he won a pair of state titles. The offensive lineman also received scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Campbell, Duke, Jackson State, James Madison, Maine, Maryland, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T and Virginia Tech, according to his Liberty bio page.
Conference USA also released a statement following Boyd’s death: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Liberty Football student-athlete Tajh Boyd. Our thoughts are with the Boyd family and the Flames nation at this difficult time.”
Boyd, who referred to himself as “Big Baby” on social media, had recently posted a new profile picture on Twitter showing him jogging for the upcoming season.
He was interested in computer science and studied interdisciplinary studies.
When asked by the school to name his source of inspiration, Boyd named his mother, Tanzania Belfield.
“She raised me alone with no help and she is the strongest person I know,” he told the school’s website. “She never gave up.”