Ariz. Football Recruit Dies During Drill

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona football recruit McCollins Umeh (search) died Tuesday afternoon after collapsing during a voluntary workout, athletic director Jim Livengood said.

The 18-year-old defensive end was taken to the nearby University Medical Center, where efforts to revive him failed. The hospital said the time of death was 2:24 p.m.

"All our thoughts and prayers are with McCollins' parents," Livengood said. "There is no easy way to describe how devastating this tragedy is to the family and to the university community."

Umeh, 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, arrived in Tucson (search) this week with other freshmen and transfers to participate in the conditioning drills.

He was one of three recruits who attended Forest High School (search) in Klein, Texas, and played for coach Gene Johnson, whom new coach Mike Stoops hired during the recruiting period as an offensive graduate assistant. The other Klein Forest players are safety Dominic Patrick and wide receiver Bobby McCoy.

Umeh was a SuperPrep All-American and was rated the No. 25 prospect in Texas. He committed orally to Kansas State, but changed his mind and signed with the Wildcats on Feb. 4.