ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A star high school football player from Florida who had signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Louisville was fatally shot late Saturday, Orlando police said.
Dexter Rentz Jr. tied a state record in 2017 when he intercepted five passes in a single game while playing as a sophomore at Ocoee High School, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Police said the high school senior was among four people hit by gunfire, and the only fatality, in a crime called into authorities shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday.
An outpouring of grief on social media paid tribute to Rentz, who was looking forward to becoming a wide receiver for the Cardinal.
Louisville’s head football coach, Scott Satterfield, lamented the death in a statement Sunday that described Rentz as “a great young man who had a contagious personality.”
When he announced some of his new recruits in February, Cardinals assistant coach Gunter Brewer called Rentz “a great kid” whom he looked forward to coaching, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Rentz had verbally committed with Louisville last June, the newspaper said, citing a radio interview in which he said his goal in his final year of high school was to grow as a leader and help “the young guys see that there’s more to it than football.”
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