Alyssa Boyd Was More Than Just Ex-Penn State Star Julian Fleming's Girlfriend

A tragic accident took her life. This is the story of Alyssa Boyd — and the light she left behind.

It’s easy to lose someone to the headlines. You see a name next to a tragedy and forget there was so much more behind it. If you’ve heard about former college football star Julian Fleming’s girlfriend, it’s worth pausing for a moment to really understand who she was — because she wasn’t just a name in a story.

She was the story.

She lived loud. She loved big. And the people who knew her still can’t believe she’s gone. Keep reading to learn more about who she was and what happened to her.

Julian is known for what he’s done on the field — first at Ohio State, then at Penn State, and most recently as a hopeful professional wide receiver for the NFL. Off the field, in quiet photos and private moments, there was Alyssa. The two shared a life that — at least from the outside — looked full of love, inside jokes, and unfiltered joy.

They’d been together for a while, even if the timeline wasn’t fully public. Alyssa showed up in his world like someone who belonged there. She posted about his games. He posted about her smile. They took trips, shared milestones, and seemed to find comfort in each other’s orbit.

According to The Athletic, it was in that shared orbit that they were riding an ATV on May 23, 2025, when everything changed. A deer ran into the road. The ATV crashed. Alyssa didn’t survive.

Julian did — but everything else in his world cracked.

Per her obituary, Alyssa Boyd was born in Bloomsburg, Pa., on Feb. 3, 2002, to David and Lorie Boyd. She grew up in a tight-knit family with her brother Zachary, and she carried that small-town energy with her no matter how far she went.

Alyssa was a standout athlete from a young age. She played on the WAVE U14 soccer team, which won a national championship. In high school, she played basketball, ran track and hurdles, and more recently had started playing golf. She was also a talented artist, a psychology major at the University of Alabama, and a proud member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.

She was planning to graduate in December. Her family said she lit up every room — and by all accounts, they weren’t exaggerating. Her dogs, Bentley and Hudson, were always by her side. And when she smiled, people noticed.

Alyssa didn’t live halfway. She was the kind of person who showed up, who made friends everywhere she went, and who balanced strength and softness in ways that made her unforgettable.

The comments of her Instagram reveal that those who loved her were shattered by her passing and are struggling to accept the reality of it.

The crash that ended Alyssa’s life happened on a back road in Columbia Township, Pa. According to reports, neither Julian nor Alyssa was wearing a helmet when the ATV struck a deer. She died at the scene. Julian was seriously injured.

Later, prosecutors announced that Julian had been under the influence. His blood alcohol level reportedly tested between 0.10 and 0.16, well above the legal limit. He now faces charges including homicide by vehicle, DUI, and aggravated assault by vehicle.

It’s a tragic case — one where grief and accountability are tangled in ways that aren’t easy to separate. There’s no clear villain. There’s no fixing what happened.

And, for Julian, what comes next is hard to imagine.

Alyssa’s Celebration of Life was held on May 31 at First Presbyterian Church in Bloomsburg. Her obituary described her as someone who was “very outgoing” and “amazing,” a person whose energy was felt just by being near her.

She left behind her family, her friends, her sorority sisters, her dogs — and her boyfriend Julian.

Rest in peace, Alyssa.