The USC Trojans had Tuli Tuipulotu on last season’s roster and their 2022 defensive line. We’re not here to tell you that Bear Alexander is better than Tuli ever was, because Tuli was special for USC and the main reason last year’s bad defense wasn’t significantly worse. Tuipulotu carried the USC defense and was the only defensive lineman who displayed rock-solid reliability on a regular basis.
All of that being said, however: Tuli isn’t the same kind of player Bear Alexander is.
Alexander, who chose to play USC on Sunday evening and gave the Trojans a huge splash in the transfer portal, is a stronger and thicker defensive lineman than Tuli is. Alexander was listed at 305 pounds as a freshman, and USC observers say he has already bulked up to 315. Tuli was 290 pounds as a junior. USC is beefing up not just in terms of depth, but size. Alexander should boost the Trojans’ run-stuffing performance, which is so crucial for all the obvious reasons, but also because college football games will have fewer plays this season due to rule changes.
USC just received help in the area of performance where it needed the most reinforcements. The Trojans got better on the interior of their defensive line, mostly because they got bigger. Bear Alexander isn’t just a quality addition to a roster, a “best player available” in the portal (though he might very well be). He fits a specific and acute team need, the biggest reason USC fans are so excited to have him here.
#USC’s defensive line transfer additions:
6-foot-4, 315 pound Bear Alexander
6–foot-6, 270 pound Anthony Lucas
6-foot-2, 290 pound Kyon Barrs
6-foot-5, 280-pound Jack Sullivan— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) April 23, 2023
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