Towson Running Back Kobe Young Dies at 23, Cause of Death Not Immediately Known

23-year-old redshirt senior football player Kobe Young tragically passed away at his family’s home in Winston Salem, North Carolina last weekend.

Young played his collegiate career at Towson University and was known amongst his teammates and coaches for his infectious smile.

As noted in The Baltimore Sun:

Tigers coach Rob Ambrose said he remembered Young’s optimism.

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“The first thing that anybody is going to say is his smile,” he said. “He just lit up a room. He lit you up. It was really amazing. There are great smiles in the history of the world, but not every great smile affects somebody. His did — every day.”

Safety Robert Topps III, who will be a redshirt senior this fall, said Young’s positivity was infectious.

“Kobe was just one of those guys where if you saw Kobe, he would put a smile on your face,” he said. “He was just one of those guys that would always greet you. He was a good guy. If you saw Kobe, you would smile because he always had a smile on his face. He was a real, positive guy.”

Kobe Young, a redshirt senior who played running back at Towson, died this week at his family's home in North Carolina. He was 23.

“Kobe was just one of those guys where if you saw Kobe, he would put a smile on your face,” safety Robert Topps III said. https://t.co/Ezrog216n3

— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) March 14, 2022

RIP Kobe , I remember when we all was @ Towson Freshman yr in the summer bumpin to Lil Uzi XO Tour Life in English class .. you never know what somebody going through no matter how much you see them smiling #YoungKing pic.twitter.com/tzFdcGOvw0

— Rodney Dorsey Jr. (@Dorsey__Jr) March 13, 2022

https://twitter.com/_MontyFenner/status/1503011125889273860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1503011125889273860%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimoresun.com%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Ffootball%2Fbs-sp-kobe-young-towson-football-dies-20220314-stmdiejrkbah3f3e2ewm7thloa-story.html

Rest In Peace Kobe !! I love you bro !! This is crazy to me !!! pic.twitter.com/nF3Ue1BCDU

— YIN DEE (@YeedeeThaenrat) March 13, 2022

Per Young’s Towson player bio:

2018: Played all 12 games at running back and kick returner…second among Towson running backs with 72 carries, 455 rushing yards and three touchdowns, adding 10 catches for 54 yards and a score plus five kickoff returns and 76 yards…led Towson in rushing in two games, including season opening victory at Morgan State on Sept. 1 with seven carries, 66 yards and a score…six carries for 64 yards, including a 34 yard breakout, in win vs. The Citadel on Sept. 29…led Towson in rushing with 59 yards and a touchdown in win at Elon on Nov. 10…career-high 92 yards rushing, adding a 24-yard kickoff return, vs. Duquesne in the FCS Playoff game on Nov. 24.

Kobe would’ve graduated in May with a bachelor’s in health care management. The Sun does NOT mention a cause of death, at all. It’s just another one of those great mysteries; we’ll find out in the next life. 🙏https://t.co/RanaWz2F1N

— 🇺🇸 Jewels 🇺🇸 (@jewels4meee) March 17, 2022

Cont. from The Baltimore Sun:

Ambrose said Young was on pace to graduate in May with a bachelor’s in health care management and a minor in business administration. He said he found out about Young’s death from his academic advisor, who was in daily contact with Young’s mother LaTonya Young.

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Ambrose organized an online meeting with the team on Saturday afternoon and informed the players of Young’s death.

“When I heard it was Kobe, he was pretty much the last person I would have thought because Kobe always kept a smile on his face,” Topps said. “No matter what, Kobe was always smiling, cracking jokes. So when you heard that Kobe died, you kind of thought it was a joke.”

Ambrose said there have been “loose discussions” about paying tribute to Young during the upcoming season. He said his heart aches for Young’s mother.

Young’s cause of death is unknown at this time.

We’ll provide further details once they become available.

WMAR-2 News provided this video report: