‘He will always be a Panther to us’: Pitt football mourning recruit who died in crash

A Pitt football recruit died in a crash in Indiana on Saturday evening.

NBC News affiliate WTHR reports that Mason Alexander, 18, was a passenger of a BMW that went off a road in Fishers, Indiana, trying to avoid a head-on collision while driving in the wrong direction in an attempt to pass another car. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said the vehicle overcorrected while trying to avoid the collision, then went off the road and hit a tree before catching fire.

Alexander died on scene.

Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi issued a statement Sunday, saying the entire program is “shocked and deeply saddened” to learn of his death.

“I received a call this morning that no parent, teacher or coach ever wants to get—the news of the sudden loss of a young and promising life,” Narduzzi said. “Mason had just enrolled at Pitt in January following his early graduation from Indiana’s Hamilton Southeastern High School. Even during that short time, he made a great impression on all of us. Mason was proud and excited to be a Panther, and we felt the same way about having him in our Pitt family. He will always be a Panther to us. The Alexander family and Mason’s many loved ones and friends will be in our prayers.”

Our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh report that Alexander was a four-star cornerback recruit out of Hamilton Southeastern High School and was a key piece of the 2025 recruiting class. He spoke with the media for the first time on Wednesday and said his goal was to make it to the NFL.

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