A RISING college football star has tragically been killed in a horror car crash, at just 18 years old, after a vehicle collided into a tree.

Mason Alexander, from the University of Pittsburgh, died on Saturday night after a car burst into a terrifying inferno.

The up-and-coming Pitt freshman was killed in his hometown of Fishers, Indiana.

Alexander was the passenger in a BMW which attempting to pass a Toyota just before a hillcrest.

The driver desperately swerved the car after they realised another vehicle was coming on the other side of the road.

This BMW veered off the road and crash into a tree before it burst into flames.

Alexander was tragically pronounced dead at the scene of the horror collision.

The local Hamilton County Sherriff’s Office revealed an investigation was launched into the terrifying crash.

Alexander was one of the most exciting Pitt prospects to join the college football team in 2025.

He was due to join the team for spring practice this month after he signed with the school in December and enrolled early.

A flood of heartbreaking tributes poured in for the aspiring college athlete.

Pitt’s coach Pat Narduzzi said Alexander had made a “great impression on all of us”.

He said: “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.

“Our entire program is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Mason Alexander’s passing.”

Marduzzi added: “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.”

Alexander was a star cornerback for Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, before enrolling into college.

A former high school teammate of Alexander’s, Peyton Daniels, paid a touching tribute to his friend on X.

Daniels said: “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. Love forever.”

Alexander’s former high school coach, Michael Kelly, praised his former student for his “next level” talent.

Kelly said: “Mason is a special young man who is going to be dearly missed.

“To be honest, I don’t know if I’m still in shock but the hardest thing to think about is how things can happen to people, especially somebody like him.

“He had a presence and positivity about him that was unique. He didn’t think he was bigger than life in any way, and he had next level talent.”

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