AJ Hawk, Pat McAfee pay tribute to late Jets, Ohio State star Nick Mangold after his passing

by: Steve Samra 53 minutes ago SamraSource

Former New York Jets center  Nick Mangold  passed away Saturday night at the age of 41, the team announced over the weekend. He died due to complications from kidney disease.

Mangold, who starred at  Ohio State  from 2002–2005 before being drafted by the  New York Jets , had revealed that he was diagnosed with a genetic defect that led to chronic kidney disease in 2006. The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro became one of the most respected offensive linemen of his era. He was known as much for his toughness and reliability as for his good-natured personality.

On Monday’s edition of  The Pat McAfee Show , McAfee and his co-host  A.J. Hawk , who was Mangold’s college roommate and teammate at Ohio State, paid tribute to the late NFL star. It was an emotional and deeply personal segment.

“Nick Mangold was the man and he was such an unbelievable person..

He was always smiling and my prayers are with his entire family” ~ @OfficialAJHawk #PMSLive https://t.co/ILGr9VBxUF pic.twitter.com/FYFAJMtE8k

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 27, 2025

“AJ, I think this would be a good time to let the world know how great of a human Nick Mangold is, was, and everything like that,” McAfee prefaced. “Honestly, I didn’t want to put you on the spot, but I think hearing from friends and loved ones is a good thing for his legacy. AJ, you’ve obviously known him a long time. Just a couple of words that people need to know about him.”

Hawk, visibly emotional, shared memories of his late friend: “Nick was the man. Like, I was nervous to even think about coming on here and talking about it, but yeah, I grew up with the dude. College roommate for four straight years. Unbelievable player. But yeah, there’s just no one else like him on the planet. Super unique dude,” Hawk stated.

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