Cause of death revealed for college football player who died at 20

Officials in Las Vegas have revealed the cause of death for former college football player Ryan Keeler, the defensive lineman for UNLV who was found in his apartment after he died at the age of 20.

Keeler died of a fatal arrhythmia caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle, Clark Co. (Nev.) Coroner's Office said. His death was ruled natural.

Keeler was found unresponsive in his apartment on Feb. 20. In the days before his death, Keeler had complained of nausea and feeling generally unwell.

UNLV football coach Barry Odom paid tribute to Keeler after his death became public.

"We are devastated to have lost a member of our Rebel family," he said.

"While I had the honor of knowing Ryan for only a couple of months, he already stood out to our coaching staff as an incredible person, student, and teammate.

"Our condolences and prayers go out to Ryan's family as we grieve along with them over this tremendous loss."

Keeler began his college football career at Rutgers back in 2021 and after redshirting, the Chicago native transferred to UNLV.

The 6-foot-7, 275-pound lineman appeared in seven games a season ago, finishing with eight stops and one sack.

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