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Deltaplex News has confirmed through multiple sources that White Hall head football coach and former Arkansas Razorback quarterback Ryan Mallett has drowned in Florida.
Multiple sources tell Deltaplex News that Mallett was transported to a Florida hospital from a beach. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
Mallett was hired by White Hall on Februaray 23, 2022.
No other details are available at this time. Deltaplex News will update this story as more information becomes available.

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LINK

Holy moly that is terrible.

He was 35.

Hearing he got caught in a rip tide.

Terrible

aggiehawg said:

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Hearing he got caught in a rip tide.

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Lot of that going on in Florida.
That's awful. RIP

I remember learning how to escape riptides in my A&M scuba class which saved my butt a few years later in Cancun. Very scary.

Swim sideways to beach, correct.

H-town ag said:

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Swim sideways to beach, correct.

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Parallel with the beach in either direction, until you are not being pulled away from it.

almost died in a rip tide back in college. the only thing that saved me was flipping over to my back to rest and tread water while i caught my breath. it's a real deal and exhaustion over takes u. if u don't think quickly u sink and there is nothing u can do. always swim to the side and if u get exhausted flip over on your back to rest. it will save your life. rip mallet

whatthehey78 said:

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H-town ag said:

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Swim sideways to beach, correct.

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Parallel with the beach in either direction, until you are not being pulled away from it.

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I did exactly this about 20 years ago. If I would have tried to go straight in I would not have made it.

6th drowning in the Destin to Panama City area since Thursday.
Bad riptides and people just ignore the warnings.

My mom is a world top-10 ranked open water swimmer and almost drowned in one. Nobody can swim against it. I think she was pulled out by a wave runner

RIP Ryan Mallet. He was a hell of a competitor. Tragic story. Sad for his family and friends....and fans

1996OlAg said:

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My mom is a world top-10 ranked open water swimmer and almost drowned in one. Nobody can swim against it. I think she was pulled out by a wave runner

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I'm curious.
Your mom is ranked as an open water swimmer??

Very sad. People don't take the beach flags seriously around here, especially tourists. At first, I thought he was at Crab Island and got swept into the channel which also happens when the tide is going out in Destin pass. Seems like he was just on the beach and ignored the double red flags. RIP.

Awful. Rip tides are scary. I've never been caught in a really strong one but have experienced milder ones. Water is so incredibly powerful.

I live in Destin. Public service announcement

Rule 1, DO NOT go in the water when the flags are double red or red and be extremely careful under yellow flag conditions. Destin has a bunch of rip tide prone areas, so always be mindful, even when the water looks tame.

Rule 2, there really is no reason to get more than mid thigh deep in the Gulf. Nothing good happens in deeper water. Rip tides and shark attacks needlessly take lives every year.

Rule 3. Like said above, If caught in a rip tide swim parallel to shore until out of it. Then return to shore. However, if you follow rule 1, and 2, you most likely won't need rule 3.

Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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almost died in a rip tide back in college. the only thing that saved me was flipping over to my back to rest and tread water while i caught my breath. it's a real deal and exhaustion over takes u. if u don't think quickly u sink and there is nothing u can do. always swim to the side and if u get exhausted flip over on your back to rest. it will save your life. rip mallet

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Amazing how many of us have had this experience. I was 10 years old at Balboa Island in California. Was exhausted, pulled out to where only a couple of surfers were. Stopped fighting and just started floating. Eventually caught waves that pulled me sideways and back towards the shore.

When I got back to shore, flopped down on my towl and was breathing hard. My older sister asked, "what's the matter with you?" Really scary experience.

I've been in rips quite a few times while surfing (and not surfing). Actually used them to get back out to the line up.

The key is not panicking. The back flow will eventually stop. It's simply backwash from inbound waves that channels back out. It's technically not a current but a flow. If you're not experienced in the water, it can be very scary and panic completely drains your strength after the initial fight or flight response. Stay relaxed and flow out. When the rip subsides, you can swim parallel to the shore and then back in.

Know your capabilities. Read the surf. Unless you're experienced, have another beer on the beach and stay there.

Good stuff on here

It won't pull you out far, maybe 2-300 yards. The issue is you have to tread water for a while until you get carried out where it dissipates, then swim down the beach a ways so you aren't swimming into it trying to get back in. I've been in some in my kayak off the beach and they can be moving at a pretty good clip, and hard to see.

Sad News.

But the beaches from Pensacola to Panama City have had RED Flags (Rip Tide Warnings) and DOUBLE RED FLAG (Getting in the water Prohibited) for the past week or so. Articles have not said much about conditions. Typical Click Bait Headlines.

JimmyFisher said:

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I live in Destin. Public service announcement

Rule 1, DO NOT go in the water when the flags are double red or red and be extremely careful under yellow flag conditions. Destin has a bunch of rip tide prone areas, so always be mindful, even when the water looks tame.

Rule 2, there really is no reason to get more than mid thigh deep in the Gulf. Nothing good happens in deeper water. Rip tides and shark attacks needlessly take lives every year.

Rule 3. Like said above, If caught in a rip tide swim parallel to shore until out of it. Then return to shore. However, if you follow rule 1, and 2, you most likely won't need rule 3.

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I'm actually just about to visit Destin next month. Thanks for the tip

Sad to hear about Mallett. He was a true thorn in our side during the Sherman years. Played for none other than Bobby Petrino.

During his college playing days, Mallett had about the strongest arm in football, outside of the pros.

Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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almost died in a rip tide back in college. the only thing that saved me was flipping over to my back to rest and tread water while i caught my breath. it's a real deal and exhaustion over takes u. if u don't think quickly u sink and there is nothing u can do. always swim to the side and if u get exhausted flip over on your back to rest. it save your life. rip mallet

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had a similar experience in Kauai, Hawaii.

I wasn't that far out, maybe 200 feet, but there was a nearby cliff that jutted out into the water that causes odd water movement.

I tried to swim to shore and realized it was a lost cause and I was starting to get tired.

So I relaxed them swam parallel to the shore until I made my way out of the "rip tide"

It was definitely an odd feeling swimming with all your might and not going anywhere.

That was in 2000. I was with my wife on our 10th anniversary. My brother and sister in law were babysitting our six, four and two year old back in The Woodlands.

This is tragic news, but rip tides can be dangerous.

randy828 said:

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Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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almost died in a rip tide back in college. the only thing that saved me was flipping over to my back to rest and tread water while i caught my breath. it's a real deal and exhaustion over takes u. if u don't think quickly u sink and there is nothing u can do. always swim to the side and if u get exhausted flip over on your back to rest. it will save your life. rip mallet

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Amazing how many of us have had this experience. I was 10 years old at Balboa Island in California. Was exhausted, pulled out to where only a couple of surfers were. Stopped fighting and just started floating. Eventually caught waves that pulled me sideways and back towards the shore.

When I got back to shore, flopped down on my towl and was breathing hard. My older sister asked, "what's the matter with you?" Really scary experience.

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Nitpicking only since I live here but if it was Balboa Island you woulda had to be a really piss poor swimmer cus it's contained within the bay no waves

Obvs you meant Balboa Peninsula possibly near The Wedge

Wedge = Newport

Another stupid thing I've done.

I have experienced rip tides in the Gulf and in the Caribbean. Relax, swim parallel to the beach then find a current that pushes toward the beach and swim under control to the beach. It works.

dixichkn said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Hearing he got caught in a rip tide.

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Lot of that going on in Florida.
That's awful. RIP

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Happened 6 or 7 times in NC a few years ago around Emerald Isle. Seemed like there was a drowning or shark attack every 4 or 5 days. Wonder if the change from LA Nina to El Nino will mean more in the Gulf than Atlantic this year?

Edit to add: My Tank Company had a Corpsman save 2 people from a riptide around Topsail Island about 10 years ago. Paddled out on his surfboard and brought them back him. Devil Docs are a rare breed among the rare breed.

We have a condo in Destin and keep up with local fire/police info. They released a statement yesterday that he was not in a rip tide and there were no rip tides in the area, yellow flagged.

The statement just said he went under and never resurfaced.

45-70Ag said:

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We have a condo in Destin and keep up with local fire/police info. They released a statement yesterday that he was not in a rip tide and there were no rip tides in the area, yellow flagged.

The statement just said he went under and never resurfaced.

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Even without a rip tide, if you are swimming where you can't touch the bottom and breath in a wave, you are immediately at risk of drowning. It's extremely difficult to cough enough to clear your lungs AND continue to breath enough to keep swimming. Also, It's an instinctive reflex to angle your head down when coughing, which can cause you to breath in water again. Game over there. I'm convinced that's what's happening with many snorkeling drownings who were "strong swimmers ". One wave gets down your snorkel when you take a heavy breath and It's immediately a life or death situation.