Mason Alexander, 18-year-old freshman Pitt cornerback, dies in car crash

Mason Alexander, an 18-year-old freshman cornerback at Pittsburgh, was killed in a car crash in Indiana on Saturday night, police said Sunday.

According to the Hamilton County (Ind.) Sheriff’s Office, Alexander was the passenger in a white BMW traveling south on Florida Road in Fishers, Ind. The BMW entered the northbound lane to pass a car just before reaching the top of a hill.

A Toyota Rav4 was traveling north at the same time. When the BMW reached the top of the hill, the driver realized the car was about to collide with the Rav4. Both drivers veered to avoid a crash — the BMW went off the road, hit a tree and caught on fire.

Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene.

In loving memory of a cherished son, friend and teammate. pic.twitter.com/UyOE73IEAy

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) March 2, 2025

In December, Alexander was announced as one of Pitt’s 2025 commits. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement the program was “shocked and deeply saddened” to learn of the player’s death Sunday morning.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Alexander was one of the most highly rated members of Pitt’s most recent signing class and a January enrollee at the school, which is currently on spring break. Alexander was set to partake in spring practice with the team after the break.

“Even during that short time, he made a great impression on all of us,” Narduzzi said. “Mason was proud and excited to be a Panther and we felt the same way about having him in our Pitt family.”

Alexander played receiver and defensive back at Hamilton Southeastern High in Fishers, just outside of Indianapolis. He was recruited to Pitt by defensive backs coach Archie Collins, who told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December that Alexander was a high-energy and positive person.

Alexander met with the media for the first time last week and spoke about how Collins influenced him to choose to attend Pitt.

“Coach Archie stood out to me because every time he came to see me, we would talk. … He would ask me, ‘Do you want to talk about ball or do you want to talk just to talk?’ When we talked about ball, he broke everything down and the way he did it. It helped me learn it a lot faster than usually I would,” Alexander told the Post-Gazette.

Peyton Daniels, a junior at Butler who went to Hamilton Southeastern, posted on X a photo of himself and Alexander from their high school days.

“It’s hard to find the words to say right now. Mason lit up every room he was in. Brought joy and playfulness to everything and everyone. He could change the entire direction of your day with one interaction. Mason is the embodiment of exceptional. Rest Easy 15,” Daniels wrote, referring to Alexander’s jersey number.

(Photo: Grace Hollars / IndyStar / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)