College football player dies in tragic accident

University of Pittsburgh football player Mason Alexander has died, the school announced on Sunday.

Alexander was killed on Saturday night in a car accident in his hometown of Fishers, Ind. A spokesperson from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said Alexander was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a head-on collision.

Police say Alexander was riding in a 2016 BMW when the driver of the car tried to pass another vehicle before a hill in the road. The driver swerved to avoid another vehicle that was driving in the opposite direction, which caused the car Alexander was in to travel off the road. The BMW hit a tree and caught fire.

Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 18.

“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,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “Our entire program is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Mason Alexander’s passing.

“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.”