Former Jackson State defensive back Levi Wyatt dies at 23 in Mississippi crash
Former Jackson State defensive back Levi Wyatt has died at 23 following a crash in Jackson, Mississippi, prompting tributes from the HBCU football community.
The HBCU football community is mourning after former Jackson State defensive back Levi Wyatt died in a crash in Mississippi over the weekend. He was 23.
According to PEOPLE, Mississippi Capitol Police responded to a two-vehicle wreck near the intersection of North State Street and Belhaven Street in Jackson shortly after midnight on Saturday, Aug. 1. Officers found that one of the vehicles, a Chevrolet Camaro, had struck a nearby utility pole.
Its driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger in the same car was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the second vehicle was unhurt. Local outlets WJTV and WAPT later identified the driver as Wyatt.
Jackson State’s football program paid tribute to him in a statement shared Saturday, framing his loss as one felt across the entire program. “The bond of this brotherhood does not end when the game clock expires,” the team wrote, adding that Wyatt’s memory would “forever live within the halls of Jackson State Football.”
The program asked Tiger Nation to keep his family in prayer, closing with the words, “Rest easy, Tiger.” In a caption accompanying the statement, the team acknowledged that some losses simply defy language.
“There are some losses that words can never fully explain. Today, our hearts are with the family of Levi Wyatt. We grieve alongside his loved ones and our entire Tiger family as we remember a young man whose life touched ours in meaningful ways. May we find strength in one another, comfort in our memories, and peace in knowing he will always be part of Jackson State Football.”
Wyatt spent the 2025 season with Jackson State, contributing to a team that captured the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division championship. Before arriving in Jackson, he built a strong résumé at McNeese State, where he earned second-team All-Southland Conference honors in 2024 and was also recognized on the Phil Steele All-Southland Conference Team that same year.
His path through two programs in as many years reflected a young athlete still very much in the early chapters of his story, one whose talent had already earned him recognition at every stop.
The crash remains under active investigation, and no additional details about what led to the collision have been released.