{{Short description|American football player (2000–2025)}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox college football player |image=Kyren Lacy 2023 (cropped).jpg |caption=Lacy with the LSU Tigers in 2023 |name=Kyren Lacy |school= |currentnumber= |currentposition= |birth_date={{birth date|2000|12|27}} |birth_place=Thibodaux, Louisiana, U.S. |death_date={{death date and age|2025|4|12|2000|12|27}} |death_place=Houston, Texas, U.S. |heightft=6 |heightin=2 |weight_lb=213 |highlights= * Second-team All-SEC (2024)<ref name="reuters">{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2025 |title=Kyren Lacy's Agent to NFL: 'Shame on You' |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/kyren-lacys-agent-nfl-shame-you-2025-04-18/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> |highschool=Thibodaux (LA) |pastschools= * Louisiana (2020–2021) * LSU (2022–2024) |espn=4431219 }}
'''Kyren Pierre Lacy''' (December 27, 2000 – April 12, 2025) was an American college football player who was a wide receiver for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and LSU Tigers. During his college football career, Lacy had 163 receptions for 2,360 yards and had 28 touchdowns in 64 games. In the 2024 season, he caught 58 passes for 866 yards, tied for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) lead with ten touchdown catches and was a second-team All-SEC receiver.
==Early life== Kyren Pierre Lacy was born on December 27, 2000, in Thibodaux, Louisiana,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyren Lacy - Football |url=https://ragincajuns.com/sports/football/roster/kyren-lacy/7920 |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyren Lacy Biography |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/bio/_/id/4431219/kyren-lacy |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> where he grew up and attended Thibodaux High School.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Thibodaux native, Cajuns WR Kyren Lacy reflects on impact of Hurricane Ida |url=https://www.klfy.com/sports/thibodaux-native-cajuns-wr-kyren-lacy-reflects-on-impact-of-hurricane-ida/ |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=KLFY.com |language=en-US}}</ref> As a senior, he had 54 receptions for 864 yards and 18 touchdowns. Ranked as the 10th wide receiver in Louisiana for the 2020 class, he committed to University of Louisiana at Lafayette to play college football as a three-star recruit, declining offers from Houston, Louisiana–Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Miami, and Virginia.<ref name="CCS">{{Cite web |last=Nadeau |first=Rene |date=April 10, 2024 |title=LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy has great opportunity in 2024 |url=https://crescentcitysports.com/lsu-wide-receiver-kyren-lacy-has-great-opportunity-in-2024/ |access-date=January 14, 2025 |website=Crescent City Sports}}</ref>
==College career== As a true freshman at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, in 2020, Lacy played in 11 games and had 28 receptions for 364 yards and four touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foote |first=Kevin |date=March 19, 2021 |title=UL freshman receiver Kyren Lacy experienced highs, lows of college ball in first season |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/sports/ul_lafayette/ul-freshman-receiver-kyren-lacy-experienced-highs-lows-of-college-ball-in-first-season/article_906fe6b2-88eb-11eb-98d8-0b1de6ca81ae.html |publisher=The Advocate}}</ref> In 2021, he played in 13 games and had 22 receptions for 304 yards and six touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buckley |first=Tim |date=January 8, 2022 |title=Louisiana football receiver Kyren Lacy, a Thibodaux High product, enters transfer portal |url=https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/ul/2022/01/08/louisiana-football-receiver-kyren-lacy-ncaa-transfer-portal-thibodaux-high/9145951002/ |publisher=Daily Advertiser}}</ref> After two seasons, he transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Riley |first=Koki |date=January 14, 2022 |title=UL receiver Kyren Lacy is seventh player to transfer to LSU football since Brian Kelly was hired |url=https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2022/01/14/lsu-football-kyren-lacy-ul-transfers-wide-receiver/6528688001/ |publisher=Daily Advertiser}}</ref> He started 2 of 14 games his first year at LSU in 2022, recording 24 receptions for 268 yards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Brody |date=April 22, 2023 |title=LSU spring game takeaways: Kyren Lacy continues to impress, QBs look sharp |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4440401/2023/04/22/lsu-spring-football-quarterbacks-jayden-daniels/ |publisher=The Athletic}}</ref> As the third receiver in the LSU depth chart behind Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., Lacy started 10 of 13 games and had 30 receptions for 558 yards and seven touchdowns.<ref name="CCS" />
He returned to LSU for the 2024 season as the number one receiver.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Wilson |date=December 18, 2023 |title=LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy is coming back for one more season. Can he be WR1? |url=https://www.nola.com/sports/lsu/lsu-wr-kyren-lacy-is-coming-back-for-one-more-season/article_b60e9706-9df1-11ee-bd8a-07500ad44f77.html |publisher=The New Orleans Advocate}}</ref> In the 2024 season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards, tied for the SEC lead with nine touchdown receptions and was a second-team All-SEC receiver.<ref name="reuters" /> On December 19, he announced his plan to declare for the 2025 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mossman |first=Karlie |date=December 19, 2024 |title=LSU star wide receiver declares for 2025 NFL Draft |url=https://athlonsports.com/college/lsu-tigers/lsu-star-wide-receiver-declares-for-2025-nfl-draft- |access-date=January 14, 2025 |website=Athlon Sports}}</ref> During his college football tenure, Lacy caught 162 passes for 2,360 yards and had 26 touchdowns in 64 games.<ref name="reuters" />
{{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 2 | weight = 215 | dash = 4.60 | ten split = 1.62 | twenty split = 2.64 | shuttle = 4.43 | vertical = 33.5 | arm span = 33 3/4 | hand span = 10 | note = All values from Pro Day<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lsusports.net/25proday/ |title=2025 LSU Football Pro Day |website=LSUSports.net |date=March 24, 2025 |access-date=April 13, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1041030&DraftYear=2025 |title=Kyren Lacy College Football Profile |website=DraftScout.com |access-date=April 13, 2025}}</ref> }}
===Statistics=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- |+ {{Screen reader-only|College statistics}} ! rowspan="2"| Season ! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="4"| Receiving
|- ! GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! TD |- ! 2020 | Louisiana | 11 || 1 || 28 || 364 || 13.0 || 4 |- ! 2021 | Louisiana | '''14''' || 6 || 22 || 304 || 13.8 || 6 |- ! 2022 | LSU | '''14''' || 2 || 24 || 268 || 11.2 || 1 |- ! 2023 | LSU | 13 || 10 || 30 || 558 || '''18.6''' || 7 |- ! 2024 | LSU | 12 || '''12''' || '''59''' || '''866''' || 14.9 || '''9''' |- ! Colspan=2 |[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/kyren-lacy-1.html Career] !! 64 !! 31 !! 163 !! 2,360 !! 14.3 !! 28 |}
==2024 traffic collision== On January 10, 2025, Louisiana State Police issued an arrest warrant for Lacy. He was accused of speeding and illegally passing people on Louisiana Highway 20 and causing a head-on car crash that killed a 78-year-old passenger on December 17, 2024. Lacy reportedly fled the scene without calling authorities or emergency services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlabach |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Schlabach |date=January 10, 2025 |title=LSU WR Kyren Lacy facing charges stemming from fatal car crash |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/43361220/lsu-wr-kyren-lacy-facing-charges-stemming-fatal-car-crash |access-date=April 13, 2025 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> Lacy was arrested on January 12, after he agreed with authorities to turn himself in. He was released on the same day on a $151,000 bail and charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death, and reckless operation of a vehicle by the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlabach |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Schlabach |date=January 13, 2025 |title=Kyren Lacy jailed on charges stemming from fatal car crash |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/43396343/kyren-lacy-jailed-charges-stemming-fatal-car-crash |access-date=April 13, 2025 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref>
In October 2025, Lacy's attorney was interviewed on local news, featuring footage he claimed exonerated Lacy, which did in fact show that Lacy’s vehicle was not involved in the crash and that his vehicle came safely to a stop.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/kyren-lacy-death-lsu-charges|title=Kyren Lacy's attorney says video proves late LSU star didn't cause fatal car crash|first=Heather|last=Miller|website=WTVT|publisher=Fox Television Stations|date=October 4, 2025|access-date=October 6, 2025}}</ref> Following this, more records, including additional video, were released. The district attorney's office maintained the position that Lacy's vehicle caused the chain of events that led to the fatal crash — even though it did not collide with another vehicle — and that they had been prepared to move forward with the case.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-07 |title=Police: Lacy's driving of car triggered fatal crash |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46524394/la-state-police-kyren-lacy-operation-car-triggered-events-caused-fatal-crash |access-date=2025-10-08 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>Miller, Ian, "[https://www.outkick.com/sports/espns-ryan-clark-called-kyren-lacy-innocent-monday-night-football-new-crash-video-emerged New Police Video Before Kyren Lacy Crash Contradicts Comments By ESPN's Ryan Clark That Blame Law Enforcement]", ''Outkick'', 8 October 2025</ref>
==Death== On April 12, 2025, two days before a scheduled grand jury hearing related to the December 2024 car crash,<ref>{{cite web | last=Brunner | first=Raven | title=Former College Football Player Kyren Lacy Dies at 24, Days Before Court Case Tied to Deadly Car Crash | website=People.com | date=April 13, 2025 | url=https://people.com/kyren-lacy-dead-former-college-football-player-dies-at-24-before-court-case-11714372 | access-date=April 14, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Alex |date=April 13, 2025 |title=Kyren Lacy death: LSU wide receiver found dead while facing criminal charges |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/kyren-lacy-lsu-dead-charges-b2732552.html |access-date=April 13, 2025 |website=The Independent|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref> Lacy got into a verbal argument with a family member and fired a gun into the ground before fleeing the scene. A vehicle pursuit with the police occurred, lasting several miles, and ended when Lacy's vehicle crashed. Lacy was found dead in his car, appearing to have died by suicide by firearm prior to the crash as both the body camera and dashcam revealed no shots were fired after the pursuit ended.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Low |first1=Chris |last2=Schefter |first2=Adam |author-link2=Adam Schefter |date=April 13, 2025 |title=Ex-LSU WR Kyren Lacy died in apparent suicide, authorities say |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/44664128/former-lsu-wr-kyren-lacy-died-apparent-suicide-police-chase-authorities-say |access-date=April 14, 2025 |website=ESPN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/04/13/harris-county-officials-release-new-details-surrounding-death-of-former-lsu-star-football-player-kyren-lacy/ |website=Click2Houston |date=April 13, 2025 |access-date=April 14, 2025 |last=Horton |first=Michael |title=Former LSU football player, NFL prospect reportedly shot himself after leading police on chase in Spring}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://ragincajuns.com/sports/football/roster/kyren-lacy/7539 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns bio] * [https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/kyren-lacy/ LSU Tigers bio]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Kyren}} Category:2000 births Category:2025 deaths Category:2025 suicides Category:Players of American football from Louisiana Category:American football wide receivers Category:Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football players Category:LSU Tigers football players Category:Sportspeople from Thibodaux, Louisiana Category:Suicides by firearm in Texas Category:Male suicides Category:Sportspeople who died by suicide