Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Ryan Mallett in 2017. Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Former Arkansas, NFL QB Ryan Mallett dies at 35

Ryan Mallett, a former star quarterback at the University of Arkansas and a longtime NFL quarterback reportedly died on Tuesday in a drowning incident in Florida, according to multiple reports. 

The assistant principal at White Hall High School, where Mallett had been working as the team's football coach, informed THV11 in Little Rock, Ark., of the news. He was 35 years old. 

Rip currents along the gulf coast in Florida have resulted in 11 deaths over the previous two weeks.

Mallett was one of the top quarterback recruits in the country back in 2007 and originally committed to play at the University of Michigan. 

But after one year with the Wolverines, he transferred to Arkansas where he became a star in the Razorbacks offense. After two highly successful years as the team's starter, he entered the 2011 draft as a potential first-round talent but fell down to the third round where he was picked by the New England Patriots.

He ended up playing six years in the NFL with the Patriots, Houston Texas and Baltimore Ravens, but never quite found the success he did in college.

Perhaps the highlight of his career came during the 2015 season when he was a member of the Ravens.

After joining the team just a few weeks earlier, he was forced into duty as a spot starter in a late-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and played one of the best games of his career, completing 28-of-41 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown in a stunning 20-17 win. The Ravens were 4-10 going into the game against a Pittsburgh team that needed the win for a playoff spot, and Mallett helped pull off the upset.

For his career, he went 3-5 as a starter and threw for 1,835 yards. 

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