Albany’s defensive end and NFL prospect Amitral “AJ” Simon dead at 25. What do we know?
Tragedy has struck at the University of Albany, following the untimely death of a standout defensive end who played for the institution’s football team.
Considered one of the top prospects in the coming NFL Draft, the former University at Albany passed away at an age that is way too young to not turn heads. While details continue to emerge the reality is the game has lost a promising talent way too soon.
U of Albany’s Amitral “AJ” Simon passes away
There is sad news out of college football this week after reports confirmed the passing of the University of Albany’s defensive end, Amitral “AJ” Simon. The Great Danes acknowledged Simon’s passing in an official statement shortly after the news broke, though there was no official cause of death announced.
“The UAlbany football program was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former student-athlete Amitral ‘AJ’ Simon this morning,” Albany’s statement read. “AJ was a tremendous young man and even better teammate throughout his time at UAlbany. He was a role model both on and off the field, serving as a pillar of this program over the last two years. He will be profoundly missed.” Further to that, Albany head coach Greg Gattuso also spoke to the loss experienced by the team and the wider Albany fraternity. “Two joyous year[s] coaching and becoming friends with AJ Simon,” Gattuso posted on X. “My prayers are dedicated to the Simon family. I love you AJ and will always have a special place in my heart.”
Regarding who Simon was as a player, the 25-year-old played two seasons at Albany before declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft in December. Though initially ranked as the 448th prospect by ESPN, Simon went on to enjoy a season that saw him earn first-team All-CAA honors. Across the 15 games that he played, he recorded 55 tackles and 12.5 sacks while helping the Great Danes to an 11-4 record and more importantly, their first conference title. To that end, it should come as no surprise that reports this week indicated that he had a visit with the New England Patriots just last week. Even more impressive is the fact that Simon made it onto the CAA’s commissioner’s academic honor roll, which requires students to keep at least a 3.0 grade-point average. Sadly, we will never get to know what he had to offer whether on or off the field.