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Northern Iowa tight end Parker Sutherland died at the age of 18 on Saturday (February 14), two days after collapsing during an offseason workout, head coach Todd Stepsis announced on Monday (February 16) via ESPN.
"We were working out in the morning, we get right through our warm-up and in a routine, normal Thursday, and he collapsed," Stepsis said.
Sutherland appeared in four games as a freshman during the 2025 college football season, signing with Northern Iowa as a second-team all-state football player at Iowa City High School, where he was also a member of the boys' basketball team. Several photos of teammates consoling each other were shared on the UNI football program's X account on Monday.
"We will forever love you 89," the post stated.
"He's one of one," Stepsis said via ESPN. "Just an amazing person, an amazing family. It's the type of guy you want to build a team with. If I could have 110 Parkers, I would. We're not going to be able to replace him, but who he is as a person, he always had a smile on his face. He always made people feel good about themselves. So for us, it's not about replacing him but finding something extra inside that can help fill that gap and close that void with him being gone.
"Our team, they understand that and they recognize that, and they want to play for Parker. They want to live like Parker. They want to impact like he did."