Mason Alexander, Pitt’s top-rated freshman, dies in car crash in Indiana

Pittsburgh freshman cornerback Mason Alexander died Saturday in a car crash in Indiana, authorities said.

Alexander, who was 18, was a passenger in a vehicle that swerved off the road and struck a tree in Fishers, a northeastern suburb of Indianapolis, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alexander was a star at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers and tied for the highest-rated player in Pitt’s freshman class tied with Joshua Guerrier. Alexander signed with the Panthers in December and enrolled at Pitt in January. He hadn’t played a single down for the Panthers, yet, in a statement, Panthers’ coach Pat Narduzzi said he “made a great impression on all of us” during his short time with the program.

“Mason was proud and excited to be a Panther, and we felt the same way about having him in our Pitt family,” Narduzzi said. “He will always be a Panther to us.”

Peyton Daniels, a high school teammate at Hamilton Southeastern who plays at Butler, posted on X in remembrance of Alexander.

The crash remains under investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

Reporting by The Associated Press.