Former Kentucky Quarterback Jared Lorenzen Dies at 38 Years Old

One of the more entertaining and memorable college football players of the past two decades has passed away.

Former Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen died Wednesday at the age of 38 after battling multiple health issues, his family confirmed in a statement.

Here is a statement from the family of Jared Lorenzen pic.twitter.com/vTJn2gdNU5

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) July 3, 2019

Lorenzen was famously known as "The Hefty Lefty" for his unusual size for a quarterback, weighing in at approximately 285 pounds during his Kentucky career. Lorenzen proved to be more than just a novelty on the field, though, starting for four years for the Wildcats (2000-03) and throwing for 10,354 yards and 78 touchdowns, both Kentucky school records. He was inducted in the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Lorenzen went on to spend three years in the NFL with the New York Giants, but his battle to control his weight became increasingly severe after his playing career ended. After weighing more than 500 pounds in 2017, Lorenzen embarked on an effort to lose weight and began documenting those efforts publicly through The Jared Lorenzen Project, a YouTube series he started earlier this year.

Lorenzen was hospitalized last week, however, after contracting an infection. He was also battling heart and kidney issues, according to a statement from his family.