Jesse Mahelona, a 2001 Kealakehe High School graduate whose athletic ability and high-energy play propelled him to All-America honors at the University of Tennessee and a brief NFL career, was killed in an auto accident yesterday in Kailua, Kona.

Mahelona was 26. He leaves behind a daughter, Karter, and his wife, Brandee Kukita-Mahelona, who is pregnant with their second child.

His death comes less than three months after his sister died.

According to Big Island police, Mahelona was apparently heading west on Kealakehe Parkway when the Honda sedan he was driving struck a cement barrier and some construction equipment just before 1 a.m.

Police responding to the accident found the car with its roof torn off. Mahelona, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

Mahelona's agent Chad Speck remembered his friend and client as "a wonderful guy who always had a smile on his face."

"He just loved life," Speck said from his home in Nashville, Tenn. "He was always laughing and joking. I can't remember ever being around him when he wasn't happy."

Mahelona played two seasons as a Tennessee Volunteer after transferring from Orange Coast College (Calif.), and with the Vols he racked up 77 tackles and seven sacks. He was named to the Sporting News All-America Team and All Southeast Conference second team as a junior.

The NFL's Tennessee Titans drafted Mahelona in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played 10 games as a rookie.

Mahelona also spent time with the Miami Dolphins before playing his last NFL game with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.

Speck said he had been in contact with several Canadian Football League teams interested in signing Mahelona in the coming weeks.

Speck said that in addition to being a talented athlete, Mahelona was also a devout Christian. "His relationship to the Lord was very important to him," Speck said.

On a MySpace site dedicated to his sister, Natasha, who died on June 17, Mahelona posted a message that read in part:

"I love you and (cannot) wait to see you waiting at da gates with my baby bradah or sistah and every loved one we once (k)new. (S)ee you in heaven, GOD'S WILL BE DONE."

Speck said a fund will be established to assist Mahelona's wife and children.