Former BYU basketball player killed on I-15 crash

Logan Stefanich and Sean Walker, KSL.com

BLUFFDALE, Utah — A former BYU basketball player died Thursday in a crash on I-15 near Point of the Mountain.

Jake Shoff, 46, died after a suspected medical episode in a fatal crash near 16200 South in Utah County at 11:56 a.m., according the Utah Department of Transportation.

The Utah Highway Patrol says it began with a Mercedes G63 apparently driving recklessly in the right shoulder at a high rate of speed.

“For an unknown reason, the Mercedes veered to the left, rear-ended a Nissan Sentra, then continued left. The Mercedes struck the concrete barrier in the median, came back to the right and sideswiped the driver’s side of the Ford Escape. The vehicle continued to the right and sideswiped the Chevrolet Express 3500 (a box truck), climbed up its driver’s side, and rolled onto its driver’s side,” UHP said in a statement.

The driver of the Mercedes, who was later identified as Shoff, was extricated from the vehicle through the sunroof but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.

A medical emergency is being suspected as a contributing factor to the crash, UHP says.

Troopers said the driver of the Sentra and Express were not injured, but the driver of the Escape suffered minor injuries and was transported to a hospital via ambulance.

The four righthand lanes of northbound I-15 were closed for about five and a half hours before reopening just before 6 p.m.

Shoff’s family confirmed his passing late Thursday in a statement through his brother-in-law, local sports radio host Ben Criddle.

“Our world has been flipped upside down. We are reeling and devastated,” the family statement reads. “No words can describe the void we are all experiencing right now …

“Those who came in contact with Jake had the blessing of interacting with a singular human. Jake always left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those with whom he interacted. We are all better for knowing Jake. No one was like our Jake. No one can fill the massive shoes that he has left.”

Shoff, who was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, and grew up in Alpine where he was a standout at American Fork High School and Region 4 Tri-Player of the Year, initially played at Weber State College. Upon returning from a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after his freshman year, the 6-foot-9 forward started 19 of 28 games as a sophomore, averaging 7.4 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game.

After transferring to BYU, Shoff played in 57 of 62 games over two seasons and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances with the Cougars, averaging 11.5 minutes per game while playing alongside greats like former McDonald’s All-American Garner Meads and future NBA post Rafael Araujo from 2001-2003. As a senior, Shoff shot .619 from the field while averaging 3.0 rebounds off the bench.

Shoff scored a career-high 15 points in a win over Pepperdine, when the 6-foot-9, 265-pound post shot 6-for-6 from the field.

Cougar Nation mourns the loss of basketball alumni, Jake Shoff.

Our hearts and prayers go out to his family at this time? pic.twitter.com/k2eNk5RqzD

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 7, 2025

After graduation, Shoff owned and operated several businesses and became involved with the Phoenix Recovery Center as owner and CEO in 2012, per his LinkedIn page. Shoff cited the death of his best friend and business partner by suicide due to substance abuse in 2007 for opening the treatment center in 2012, according to the center’s website.

“I have found my life’s professional passion,” he said at the time. “There is nothing better than seeing a new client lost and broken, turn the corner and reclaim hope, confidence, and a life of meaning.”

Eight years ago while on vacation in Hawaii, Shoff survived a vicious wasp attack, to which he credited two “angels” when a pair of passing strangers intervened to save him while he and his then-pregnant wife Emily were kayaking with their three sons on the Hanalei River and hit a wasps’ nest on the riverbank.

“These two angels that saved my husband and then took care of our family have just changed our lives,” Emily Shoff told KSL at the time.

Shoff is survived by Emily and the couple’s four children, including a son Zach who was born while Shoff played for the Cougars.

The family invited anyone who knew Shoff to share favorite memories, including photos and videos, of him via email at [email protected].