A high school quarterback dies after brain injury, Alabama’s 2nd death in 2 weeks

By Bill Chappell

Published August 26, 2024 at 5:15 PM EDT

A team photo shows Caden Tellier, the quarterback at Morgan Academy in Selma, Ala., who died over the weekend after a brain injury in a game. The school shared photos of Tellier as it called for donations to support his family.

The new school year has started with tragedy at two Alabama high schools, where teenage football players have died in the past two weeks.

On Friday, Caden Tellier, 16, suffered a severe head injury while playing quarterback in the opening game for John T. Morgan Academy in Selma. His death was announced the next day.

On the same day Tellier’s death was confirmed, a funeral was being held for another high school football player, some 115 miles southeast of Selma. Semaj Wilkins, 14, died after having a medical emergency during a practice at New Brockton High School.

Caden Tellier died over the weekend

Tellier was “in the hospital in critical condition with a brain injury” after Friday night’s game against Southern Academy, according to a post from Alabama Independent School Association Executive Director Michael McLendon.

McLendon did not give further details about Tellier’s condition, or how he was injured.

Tellier, a junior who led his team in touchdowns and rushing yards last year, ran for a touchdown in the first half of Friday night’s game, but he went down with an injury in the third quarter, according to the Selma Times-Journal. An ambulance was brought onto the field to take the quarterback to the hospital.

Tellier was “a shining light every day he graced the halls of Morgan Academy,” school headmaster Bryan Oliver said on Facebook. “He was a student, a friend, an athlete and most important a Christ follower.

At a prayer event for the Tellier family on Monday, his father, Jamie Tellier, who is a football coach at Morgan Academy, said his family is thankful for the support it has received.

“The outpouring of love that we have received from everyone in this room, and people across the country that we’ve never even met, should tell you a lot about who my son was -- who my son is,” Jamie Tellier said.

Semaj Wilkins died on Aug. 13

New Brockton High School shared this image of running back Semaj Wilkins as it held a memorial for the freshman, who died after collapsing at a practice earlier this month.

Semaj Wilkins joined New Brockton High School’s team after playing for Enterprise High School while in junior high last year. He was a running back who could run the ball at the line of scrimmage or roll out to catch a pass, as seen in videos on his online profile for athletes.

Semaj collapsed during an afternoon practice on a hot day, with a high temperature of 96 degrees. Officials called his mother, Regina Johnson-Adams, to alert her.

“I panicked. I grabbed everything I could think of and ran out,” Adams told local news outlet WDHN. “And I got to that field, and I was devastated because they wouldn’t let me get to my baby.”

An emergency team took Wilkins to Medical Center Enterprise, less than 10 miles away. But he didn’t survive. His high school held a remembrance ceremony for Semaj one week before its season began.

“Semaj was a young man who brought joy and inspiration to his peers, teammates, coaches, and faculty members. His loss will be deeply felt by everyone who knew him,” Kelly Cobb, superintendent of Coffee County Schools, wrote on Facebook.

Cobb added that the county sheriff’s department and district attorney are investigating what led to Wilkins’ death, in what was described as a standard procedure given the circumstances.