Liberty University has announced that over the weekend, true freshman offensive lineman Tajh Boyd, 19, passed away.
No reason has been given for the true freshman's death.
The 6-foot-5, 317-pound lineman was ranked a three-star lineman and the No. 28 overall prospect in Virginia coming out of high school power Oscar F. Smith in the football hotbed area of Hampton Roads, Virginia. He held scholarship offers from schools like Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Duke, Bowling Green, Buffalo, and James Madison, as well as numerous FCS/HBCU opportunities — but he committed early to Liberty in June 2022. In high school, he was a starter on two straight state championship teams and was a second-team all-regional performer. He signed early with Liberty in Dec. 2022 as part of the 2023 signing class and was on campus by January.
He would have turned 20 in less than two weeks (Aug. 20). He is not directly related to former Clemson quarterback and NFL Draft Pick Tajh Boyd, even though the elder Boyd is also from the Hampton Roads area.
"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes, Tajh Boyd," a Tweet from Liberty's athletic program announced. "We thank God for bringing Tajh into our Liberty Athletics community, and we will always remember him as a Flame. Tajh will be missed dearly."
Oscar Smith High School head football coach Chris Scott also discussed the sad news with the community's hometown newspaper, The Virginian-Pilot.
"Tajh's impact went far beyond statistics and accolades," Smith told the newspaper. "Yes, he was a formidable force on the football field, but it was his infectious smile, his positive energy, and his ability to uplift others that truly made him larger than life."
Boyd was raised by his mother, Tanzania Belfield, in what the young recruit described in his personal Liberty University bio as a single-family household.
