Former Ohio State linebacker Devan Bogard dies at 27

Former Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Devan Bogard died in an apartment fire early Tuesday morning. He was 27 years old.

Bogard, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, was a four-star recruit out of Glenville High School, and he committed to Ohio State as part of its 2012 recruiting class. Though Bogard would go on to win a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2014 — beating Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff — Bogard hardly played in his time at Ohio State, suffering three-straight torn ACLs, prematurely ending his career.

Bogard finished his Ohio State career with 13 total tackles (12 solo stops) and played defensive back, safety and linebacker in three years before calling it a career. He appeared in ten games spanning from 2012 until 2015, and he graduated from Ohio State in 2016.

Under then-head coach Urban Meyer, Ohio State began a new tradition that continued under current head coach Ryan Day: freshmen and newcomers would sport a black stripe on their helmet until Meyer believed they earned the right to take off the stripe; once removed, they were officially considered Buckeyes. According to a report, Bogard was the first freshman of the Meyer-Ohio State era to shed his black stripe.

Following his graduation from Ohio State in 2016, Bogard went on to become a high school football coach. He’s been at Elyria High School, just two hours north of Columbus, since leaving Ohio State.

The Elyria Fire Department received a call just before 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning about a fire in an apartment in town. The firefighters responded, and upon arriving they saw fire coming out of the apartment’s window. Elyria interim chief Joe Pronseti said the firefighters found a 27-year-old male, later identified as Bogard, lying deceased just inside the building’s door. The fire was later determined to be accidental.

Nicknamed “Bogeez” while at Ohio State, a flurry of former Buckeyes took to social media Tuesday to share stories of Bogard, celebrate his life and share grief.

Ohio State athletics’ senior vice president Gene Smith first tweeted, “So sorry to see this news. My condolences to his family,” and many others followed suit. Indianapolis Colts safety Malik Hooker, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas and NFL free agent quarterback Cardale Jones are among Bogard’s former Ohio State teammates to react to the tragic news.