Ex-Kentucky WR Randall Cobb 'lucky to be alive' after house fire

Former Kentucky and NFL wide receiver Randall Cobb and his family escaped a fire at their Nashville home
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:


Former Kentucky Wildcats and Pro Bowl NFL wide receiver Randall Cobb says he and his family are "lucky to be alive" after escaping a fire that started at his house in Nashville this week.

Cobb's wife, Aiyda, posted a story to Instagram that detailed a scary incident when a Tesla charger "caught fire in the garage late last night and quickly spread" in their home.

"We got out of the house with nothing but the clothes on our back and no shoes on our feet," she recalled, with the ex-Wildcats star adding he was able to save the family's dog, Louie.

"I can't get the image of the brave firefighter getting into position out of my head," Cobb said. "He didn't even have water to shoot yet. I truly thought the cars were going to explode and that we would lose him to this tragedy. He's a real hero.

"Unfortunately, we don't know how much, if anything, will be salvageable, but this has been a reminder that nothing is more important than the health of our family."

Cobb played for the New York Jets last season and is currently a free agent. The former Kentucky star played with the Green Bay Packers for a decade, ranking 10th in franchise history with 47 touchdown catches and 11th with 6,316 receiving yards.

In three seasons at Kentucky as a collegian, Cobb accounted for 35 all-purpose touchdowns and amassing 2,974 total yards as a wide receiver and rusher while averaging 8 yards per play.

Cobb added: "We are grateful for our incredible community in Nashville, and the support from our close friends that have given us a temporary roof over our heads and shoulders to lean on."

-

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks


Published
James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.