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Former Notre Dame defensive standout Louis Nix III found dead

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Louis Nix III, a defensive tackle at the University of Notre Dame who played two seasons in the NFL, was found dead Saturday. He was 29.

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The Jacksonville, Florida, native was last seen Tuesday and was reported missing on Wednesday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. His death was confirmed to WJAX by his mother.

Nix, an All-State defensive lineman at Raines High School in Jacksonville, later would play at Notre Dame from 2010 to 2013 and helped the top-ranked Fighting Irish reach the national championship game after the 2012 season.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office pulled a vehicle from a pond near Nix’s apartment that matched the description of his 2014 gray Hyundai Azera on Saturday night, WJAX reported.

Nix was shot in December during an attempted armed robbery at a gas station in Jacksonville while putting air into a tire on his car, NBC Sports reported. The bullet to his chest left Nix in the hospital for nearly two weeks, the website reported.

“I know it sounds cliché, but more than anything, I’m happy to be alive,” Nix told the South Bend Tribune in December.

Nix was drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft, and 83rd overall, by the Houston Texans. He played one year with the Texans before the New York Giants picked him up off waivers in 2015. He was signed to Washington’s practice squad in 2016 and returned home to Jacksonville when the Jaguars added him to their practice squad later in 2016. He was cut by the Jaguars in May 2017.