Arizona OL Zach Hemmila Dies at Age 22

Arizona offensive lineman Zach Hemmila died of unknown causes in his sleep Sunday night, Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Monday. 

He was 22.

Anthony Gimino of TucsonNewsNow.com was present for Rodriguez's press conference. Rodriguez had no details on a potential cause.

“The only thought on my mind right now is with Zach Hemmila’s family,” Rodriguez said, per Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star. “We lost a great young man. Everybody in our program is hurting.”

Hemmila was entering his redshirt senior season, and he was expected to compete for the starting center spot. He appeared in 13 games in 2015, including six starts at left guard. After being removed from the left guard spot, Hemmila primarily served as the backup center.

Hemmila played in 14 games as a sophomore, serving on special teams and as a backup offensive lineman.

“As Coach said, he’s a great young man,” Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said. “We’re just so deeply saddened. Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, the team, his teammates, the coaches and everybody involved.”

Hemmila is survived by his parents, Joel and Linda. 

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