Bear Alexander’s football journey might have the most stops in the history of the sport. He played at four different high schools prior to committing to Georgia, and he is now looking for his third collegiate team after redshirting his second season at USC. Which schools make the most sense for the Trojans’ defensive tackle?
Landing Spots for Bear Alexander
A Texas native, Alexander named Georgia and Texas A&M as his final two as a four-star high school recruit. He shocked many by choosing the Bulldogs over his home-state school, but Alexander earned a national championship ring in his first year with the program.
His mentor, Tony Jones, whom Alexander sees as a father figure, told the LA Times last offseason that Georgia’s staff assured him that Alexander would play a major role in the 2023 season. However, when he wasn’t a clear-cut starter after the spring, Alexander put his name in the transfer portal.
Of course, Alexander ultimately joined USC for a disappointing 7-5 campaign. Lincoln Riley brought in a new defensive coordinator and multiple transfers, including along the defensive line, to help bolster a unit that struggled mightily.
Despite intending to enter the portal once more in the spring, on April 10, Alexander announced he would stay with the Trojans for the 2024 season, posting on X, “I’m here to finish what I started and that’s chasing a natty here at USC with my teammates.” He also later negotiated a new deal with USC’s NIL collective.
Alexander missed the entire spring and part of fall camp due to injury, putting him behind the eight ball in new DC D’Anton Lynn’s system, causing Riley to say in August, “Bear is still very young on the football field. Bear’s still got a long way to go.”
That extended into the season, as the DT hasn’t started in any of the Trojans’ first three games, recording just four tackles and one QB hurry in a rotational role.
It all came to a head after the Week 4 battle with Michigan, as Alexander posted “FREE 9-OWE” along with pictures of himself on X.
FREE 9-OWE ………………. 😈 pic.twitter.com/8AvVyVWpJq
— Bear Alexander (@BearAlexander_) September 23, 2024
When asked about Alexander’s playing time and social media post on Tuesday, Riley said there was “no story there.”
“He played over a third of the game. People want to act like he’s not playing snaps. He’s doing a good job for us out here. … Guy’s out here working hard. He’s in a new system, with a new coach. He’s getting better, and I think he’s going to get better.
“It should be hard to play D-line at USC. It ought to be kind of hard. It wasn’t hard last year, that’s why we weren’t very good up front.”
Yet, Alexander seemingly had enough, opting to redshirt this season and enter the portal when the winter window opens on Dec. 9. Theoretically, he can still appear in one game, but it appears his ties with the program have been severed.
Alexander’s history of bouncing between teams and lackluster play in two years at USC will cause top-tier programs to second-guess targeting him in the portal, but former four stars always receive attention, and someone will bring him in as a reclamation project.
So, who will it be?
Texas Longhorns
As is the case with several of the landing spots here, Texas is likely losing both of its starting defensive tackles this offseason in Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins. It’s a win-win situation, as Alexander gets to play close to home, and the Longhorns receive much-needed interior help.
It also helps that Texas was in the running for the 6’3″, 313-pound lineman as a recruit and a transfer athlete the first time around.
LSU Tigers
After Maason Smith, Mekhi Wingo, and Jordan Jefferson left to pursue NFL dreams, the Tigers entered the 2024 season with holes along the defensive line. They filled them with transfer Gio Paez and true freshman Ahmad Breaux.
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Suffice it to say, Alexander’s one-gap penetrating potential would be welcomed in Baton Rouge. Due to his size and experience, Alexander can split his time between the A and B gaps, giving Breaux more space to wreak havoc.
Oregon Ducks
Head coach Dan Lanning was already in Eugene when Alexander suited up for Georgia, but he saw enough to extend an offer to him two years ago. With the aptly named DT on the market again, could Lanning try to lure him to Oregon once more?
The Ducks brought in transfers Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell to anchor the interior in 2024, yet both are in their last year of eligibility. Alexander didn’t exactly shine against Oregon last season, but perhaps Lanning believes he can rehabilitate the former four star.
Miami Hurricanes
Miami joined USC, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Penn State as Alexander’s final six when he decided to transfer out of Georgia. Mario Cristobal remains the Hurricanes’ head coach and could still be interested in the physically gifted DT.
Transfers Simeon Barrow Jr. and C.J. Clark were one-year bridges, and Alexander would fit right at home in Cristobal’s system that asks its defensive tackles to line up anywhere from the A gap to over tackles.
Texas A&M Aggies
Sure, Alexander spurned the program coming out of high school, but he’s still a talented player at a position of need. Plus, it’s a new regime at the helm under Mike Elko, so there’s no ill will.
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Alexander’s path to playing time in College Station is relatively clear, with Shemar Turner and Rodas Getachew-Johnson out of eligibility and Albert Regis and DJ Hicks struggling to produce in Elko’s scheme.
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