Former Wisconsin tight end Jack Pugh, who medically retired from football in 2023, died this week, the university announced Tuesday night. He was 24. No cause of death was provided.
"The Wisconsin Athletics family is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Jack Pugh," the Wisconsin statement reads. "Jack was a positive light and brought a genuine spirit to our football program. More than that, he cared about people and was loved by his teammates and staff. Jack proudly earned his degree from UW-Madison in 2025 and will forever be remembered and loved."
Pugh, a former four-star recruit in Wisconsin's 2021 signing class, was a native of Hilliard, Ohio, and ranked as the 11th-best player at his position in the country per 247Sports. He redshirted as a freshman before playing in one game during his second season.
Pugh announced his retirement from football at Wisconsin in 2023 via a social media post, citing mental health reasons.
"My physical health was not near perfect, but my mental health was the reason I decided to hang it up," Pugh wrote in part within the Instagram post. "Over years of prolonged depression and substance abuse, I decided I deserved a better life and to finally find happiness. In no way was football the root of these problems, but everything in my life had distracted me for so long to the point I never had prioritized my mental health all along, digging a deeper darker hole."
Pugh originally committed to then-Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and the Badgers on Memorial Day in 2020. The 6-foot-5 athlete was a multi-sport star in the prep ranks and chose Wisconsin over offers from Michigan, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa State and others.
"Ironically, Wisconsin was his dream school for a long time, believe it or not, for basketball," Pugh's father, Dan, told 247Sports after his commitment. "He played his first year of football last fall and they came in early and offered and that was a big deal for Jack. One of the things Jack said is Wisconsin is a couple hours away from Chicago and his brother is his best friend and his brother is going to be there another couple years and it's nice to be close to your best friend.
"There were some other schools he loved including Penn State and the coaching staff there was amazing but the proximity to his brother definitely had a part in the decision."
