Marcellus Young Casario, a three-star defensive lineman prospect who was committed to join the Georgia football team next season, died on Friday following what his high school, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, described as a “sudden medical emergency.”
The boarding school in northeast Georgia, where Casario was a student, announced Friday that a student had died and confirmed on Saturday that Casario was the 18-year-old student who had passed away.
The Canada native who enrolled at the American boarding school in an effort to boost his stock as a recruit committed to Georgia on June 15, picking the Bulldogs over offers from Michigan State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and other schools.
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, he ranked as the No. 67 defensive lineman and No. 556 overall prospect in the country, and the No. 66 player at any position in Georgia, in the Class of 2027, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
“One of the toughest calls I’ve ever gotten. It was heartbreaking because I know his mom, know his dad, know his family. He’s been down here for like every game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Saturday of Casario’s death. ” … It’s just tragic. I mean to have lost a life at that age. Can you imagine if that’s your child? He was such a great kid, I mean, he was always smiling, always positive and had a great future in front of him.”
Rabun Gap’s game against Cannon School of Concord, N.C., was postponed Friday and moved to Monday night.
“He was everything a coach wants in a player,” Rabun Gap-Nacoochee football coach Derek White said in a statement. “(Marcellus) truly embodied our mission to ‘love one another.’ He was known for his relentless dedication, and his journey as a student-athlete was marked by hard work and true brotherhood with his teammates.”
–Field Level Media
