Poignant footage has resurfaced of Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers backing Kyren Lacy to follow in their footsteps – less than a year before his death at 24.

On Sunday, it emerged that the former LSU receiver took his own life, with reports claiming that he sH๏τ himself following a police chase.

It came days before he was due in court accused of negligent homicide, over a December car crash that killed a 78-year-old Louisiana man.

Lacy was considered one of the top prospects coming out of college football ahead of the 2025 NFL draft. 

Twelve months ago, he surprised his former LSU teammates Daniels and Nabers just minutes after they were selected in the first round of the 2024 draft.

‘I’m proud of y’all boys,’ Lacy told them. Nabers and Daniels, two of the most exciting young players in the league, then heaped praise on their ‘brother’.

.@LSUfootball’s Jayden Daniels & Malik Nabers were surprised by their teammate Kyren Lacy after Draft night. 💛💜@JayD__5 | @whyguard13 | @Microsoft pic.twitter.com/vNfu0PjJK4

— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2024

Footage has resurfaced of Jayden Daniels backing Kyren Lacy to follow in his footsteps

Lacy surprised Daniels and Malik Nabers after they were selected in the first round of the draft

‘Our brother, Kyren Lacy, he’s been there with us,’ Commanders quarterback Daniels said. ‘I’m excited for him, I know he’s happy for us.

He then sent a message to the receiver: ‘Go out there, have fun, keep your foot on their neck and next year I expect you to be here!’

Nabers echoed those sentiments, adding: ‘We might be on the same video giving him the same speech next year.’

On Sunday, Daniels reposted the video in tribute to Lacy. ‘U f***ed me up w/ this one,’ he wrote. ‘It was yo turn next bro. We was finna be there right w u i swear.’

The quarterback posted a series of pH๏τos of himself and Lacy on social media, writing: ‘Till next time brudda… we gonna hold it down for u… u gon liv yo dreams through us.. hope u at peace now’.

He added: ‘Love u brudda fr (for real). Always believed in u, always was there when u needed whatever n vice versa.’ 

Lacy was arrested on January 13, with cops accusing him of driving recklessly – speeding and pᴀssing in a no-pᴀssing zone – when a motorist, who was swerving to avoid Lacy´s Dodge Charger, crashed head-on into another vehicle. He was also alleged to have fled the scene.

Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, hit-and-run driving with serious injury or death and reckless operation with accident. He was released on $151,000 bond and the case was set to be heard by a grand jury on Monday.

Lacy, 24, was arrested on January 13 after an arrest warrant was issued by local police

 Lacy is seen with his father at his LSU graduation. The prospect had previously been charged with negligent homicide in a separate incident.

New details surrounding his death emerged on Sunday night, with TMZ revealing that Lacy died by a self-inflicted gunsH๏τ wound following a police chase, after officers attempted to pull him over following a report of a weapons disturbance.

Around 11:15 pm on Saturday, a weapons disturbance is said to have been reported near Houston by one of Lacy’s family members. The woman told police that they got into a verbal altercation before he fired a weapon at the ground.

Lacy then fled the scene, but did not comply with cops when they later identified his car and tried to stop him.

Police told TMZ that Lacy’s car ultimately crashed, and cops found him ᴅᴇᴀᴅ from an apparent self-inflicted gunsH๏τ wound when they tried to extract him from the  vehicle.

Following Lacy’s death, his father, Kenny Lacy, broke his silence with a stark mental health warning to young parents.

‘Young parents, start talking to your kids at a very early age and make sure they are confident and comfortable confiding in you,’ he wrote on Facebook . 

‘Don’t be cool with ‘I’m Alright,or I’m good’ when you know deep down something isn’t right. Mental Health is real, and for the most part, it’s invisible, don’t ignore the signs, even if they may seem small.

In December, a motorist who was allegedly swerving to avoid Lacy’s Dodge Charger crashed head-on into another vehicle, resulting in the death of a 78-year-old man

‘Our lives have changed forever and this will never be ok, but God needed my baby more than he was needed here. 

‘This has to be the biggest pill our families have had to swallow but I know the love and compᴀssion in our families will get us through. 

‘This will never get easier, but we’ll learn to live with it.

‘Check on your kids mental!!!!!!!!!!!’