Balloons and flowers filled the space. Photo collages of Jackson, Lytton and Hazel lined the lobby. It was a sea of blue, black and yellow, Wise’s school colors.
The three men were remembered for their determination, brotherhood and immense football talent.
“All three of them, in their own right, were individual legends,” said Steve Rapp, Wise’s head football coach. “Then you branch the three together, it makes it … superhuman.”
Jackson, Lytton and Hazel died July 6 when a speeding driver struck their car around 3:15 a.m. in Upper Marlboro. State police said investigators think that alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the crash.
Police identified the driver of the Infiniti as Cori Clingman, 23, of Upper Marlboro. As of Friday, no charges have been filed and Maryland State Police continues to investigate the crash, according to Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. A relative who answered the door of the Clingman residence Tuesday declined to comment.
The vigil, organized by Rapp, Wise principal Taryn Washington, Wise’s booster club, and the county public school district, was peaceful. About 45 minutes after the event ended, a shooting near the school parking lot around 10 p.m. left one man dead and another woman injured. Police are investigating the shooting and it remains unclear whether it had any connection to the vigil.
“DMV Legends”
Jackson, Lytton and Hazel had promising careers as football players. Jackson had just been drafted to the Minnesota Vikings in April. Lytton was set to finish his collegiate eligibility at Bowie State University after stints at Florida State and Penn State. Hazel was looking toward the 2025 NFL Combine after a successful college career at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Maryland.
At the vigil, more than 10 family members and friends shared their memories of the three men.
Jackson’s father, Raymond, said his son lived with a no excuse mentality. Nothing could get in the way of his determination to play professional football and take care of his family after making it to the NFL. He chased his dreams through his collegiate career at Fort Scott Community College, the University of Alabama and the University of Oregon.
In fact, Jackson played with a torn labrum in his shoulder after the season at Oregon, his father said. He broke a bone in his foot but still played in the NFL combine this spring, where his performance led to his selection by the Vikings.
“That was his determination,” Raymond Jackson said at the vigil. “He was so determined to take care of his family, he didn’t let anything stop him. … I would do another 50 years of work and slaving and waking up at 4 a.m. every morning to get you back here.”
Off the field, Jackson was into fashion and loved gaming. He will always be remembered for his “million dollar smile,” Rapp said.
Hazel was the goofball of the group. He loved to dance and could break the ice in any room by cracking a smile. Many remembered him as a hard worker, always trying to get better at his craft.
“He could light up a room like no other. He was one of the funniest, most genuine people I’ve ever met,” said Justin Winters, associate head coach and defensive coordinator at St. Frances Academy. Winters said Hazel was like family to him — he saw him grow from an eighth grade boy into a young man.
Hazel was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in 2019 and ranked at the top of his graduating class before going to Maryland. Mike Locksley recruited Hazel while he was still an offensive coordinator at Alabama, but Hazel first committed to West Virginia University. Once Locksley accepted the head coaching position at the University of Maryland in December 2018, Hazel gave the coach a call.
“He said ‘OG, I’m coming to help you build this thing.’ He flipped his commitment and became the first commitment to start the build of what Maryland has become,” Locksley said. “I’ll forever be grateful to Zay for taking a chance on me.”
Hazel played at Maryland for four years before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Locksley said Hazel will be honored in Maryland’s opening this game this fall against UConn.
Lytton was remembered for his calm manner and how much he cared for the people he loved. While he could be quiet and reserved, he opened up most to those he was comfortable with.
Lytton was a true standout at Wise, naturally elite and gifted, Rapp said. The two-time champion was All-Met Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. He played two seasons at Florida State before transferring to Penn State. He was set to return to Prince George’s County for a homecoming and play at Bowie State before the crash.
Kyle Jackson, head coach at Bowie State, said their time together was short, but Lytton left a lasting impact.
“I’ve never seen him smile as much as he did when he put that [Bowie State] jersey on … To see him have that light and that energy … it lit a fire in me,” Kyle Jackson said at the vigil.
“A lot of people cared about them and loved them. They were role models for the community,” said Tarheeb Still, a fifth-round 2024 draft pick to the Los Angeles Chargers who played with Hazel at the University of Maryland. “I will just say that their name will live on forever.”
As DaLawn Parrish, former head football coach at Wise, remembered the three young prodigies, he set the record straight about the best football team he ever coached — and Lytton, Hazel and Jackson were among them.
“My players always ask me, ‘What team was the greatest team?’ Here we go, it was right there, 2016,” Parrish said.
Off the basketball court, guests honored the three with custom shirts, posters and balloons. “DMV Legends,” read one shirt featuring a collage of the trio’s football pictures and jersey. “Zay Way” was the motto on Hazel’s family shirts with the number 14 on the back, his jersey number at the University of Maryland. Jackson’s family wore purple Minnesota Vikings hats, where Jackson was set to make his NFL debut this fall.
Lytton’s family wore a shirt with a motto he lived by and even posted on his Twitter account in 2018: “It’s a lot of life out here to live.”
Tribute funds have been organized in Jackson and Hazel’s honor. As of Saturday morning, over $20,000 were raised in just two days for Hazel and Jackson’s families. Lytton’s family is organizing a scholarship fund that will go toward a Wise high school graduate.
“It was always us”
The trio were more than football players and teammates; they were brothers, said John “Moo-Moo” Oliver, longtime friend and former teammate. They had a bond like no other; if you saw one, you saw the other.
“It was always us,” Oliver said.
When Jackson, Lytton, and Hazel came home from college for holiday breaks and weekends, they stayed at Oliver’s townhouse in Fort Washington and spent time together like a family.
“I honestly say, you will never get a hug, a laugh, or the type of comfort that them type of brothers will give you,” the 25-year-old said.
Oliver saw his closest friends for the last time the night of the crash. It was just another family outing, Oliver said, as they enjoyed the night bowling with friends and hashed out their competitive natures through the games.
“That’s a strong three that I just lost,” Oliver said. “I just know to this day, I will never get them back, and I was literally just with them.”
Oliver was one of the last at the vigil to honor his three best friends. At the event’s conclusion, Dondrae McGhee, assistant campus pastor at Zion Church, led the crowd in prayer as they lit the flameless candles. He called out Jackson, Lytton, and Hazel’s names and numbers, one by one.
“Touchdown PUMAS! Touchdown by number one, Isaiah Hazel. Touchdown PUMAS! Touchdown by number four, AJ Lytton. Touchdown PUMAS! Touchdown by number six, Khyree Jackson.”
The crowd erupted in immense cheers and roars, one last time.
Jasmine Hilton, Martin Weil and Peter Hermann contributed to this report.