Kalen DeBoer addresses the tragic death of former Alabama DB Terrance Howard

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer addressed the tragic death of former defensive back Terrance Howard when he met with the media during Fall Camp.

Terrance Howard got into a car accident while moving last weekend. When that occurred, he got out of his car to check on the other driver. Unfortunately, when he did that another car struck him. He was then rushed to a hospital where he passed away.

“Before I make comments on the team, I want to send along thoughts and prayers,” Kalen DeBoer said. Terrance Howard who was with us and transferred on to North Carolina Central, he did pass away and he’s got some guys who are here on this team close to him and also think about him. Just want to send prayers and thoughts up to his family. I don’t really have details on that. Really don’t know anything more.”

Terrance Howard went to Alabama as a walk-on under then-head coach Nick Saban. He saw minimal playing time in his one season with the program and transferred to North Carolina Central University where he was going to be on a scholarship to play football. It was while moving in there that he tragically died.

A native of Missouri City, Texas, Terrance Howard went to Ridge Point High School. There, he was a standout defensive back who would make the decision to go to play for Alabama. He was going to play for Trei Oliver there, who led the Eagles to a Celebration Bowl win in 2022 and an FCS playoffs appearance for the 2023 season.

Brooke Tigtig, the mother of Terrance Howard’s girlfriend, spoke to KHOU earlier in the week about the accident.

“When he was picked up, he didn’t have ID on him so he was considered a John Doe. He was taken to one hospital and transferred to another,” Tigtig said. “So I think it took some time for them to be able to contact his parents.”

While he was in the hospital, Howard’s family started a GoFundMe, with the hopes it would raise enough money to transfer him to a Houston-based hospital for specialized treatment. It raised $46,000 but he succumbed to his injuries before he could be transferred.

It was Nick Saban, not Kalen DeBoer, who was Terrance Howard’s head coach while he was with the Crimson Tide. Reportedly, Saban has reached out to the Howard family in the wake of the tragedy.