Tag: bear alexander

Former UGA DL flexes Georgia ‘G’ on transfer visit to Penn State

Former Georgia defensive lineman Bear Alexander flexes Georgia “G” tattoo on his visit to Penn State

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Bear Alexander committed to the “G” in a permanent way when he got a Georgia “G” tattoo. Alexander recorded nine total tackles, including two sacks, in Georgia’s national title-winning season of 2022.

Alexander got the Georgia “G” tattoo sometime before winning a national championship with UGA. He transferred to the USC Trojans following his freshman season at Georgia.

Alexander posted 47 total tackles and 1 1/2 sacks during his first season at USC. He stuck with the Trojans for another season, but elected to transfer from USC after the Michigan game to maintain two years of eligibility and redshirt during his 2024 season.

Now, Alexander is considering transferring to one of USC’s Big Ten rivals, Penn State. He recently visited Penn State and flexed his Georgia “G” tattoo on his visit.

Alexander is ranked as the No. 3 defensive lineman and the No. 26 overall player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports.

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We’ll provide updates throughout Alexander’s transfer recruitment.

Penn State schedules visit with star defensive tackle Bear Alexander

This USC lineman would be a nice addition to the Penn State defense out of the transfer portal.

With things getting underway in the transfer portal, Penn State will certainly be viewed as a top destination for multiple players looking for new opportunities around the country, especially with them securing their place in the College Football Playoff.

The Nittany Lions haven’t been too busy trying to bring in players since [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has been the head coach, but this new calendar could change some things.

There are positions Penn State has to land in this cycle as they look to continue their ascent to annual national championship contender status.

Two they’re already targeting is wide receiver, for obvious reasons, having already scheduled a visit with Eric Rivers who is one of the top players in the portal, as well as extending an offer to defensive tackle David Blay.

Penn State is also reportedly on the radar of a high-profile player.

Per Hayes Fawcett of On3, the Nittany Lions are one of the three teams who are “standing out” to defensive lineman [autotag]Bear Alexander[/autotag] after he decided to transfer from USC following a decision to redshirt during the season.

At the time, that didn’t necessarily mean the Nittany Lions were interested in bringing him in. It only meant the player is viewing Penn State as a potential destination.

But, there has been a new development that reports, according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Penn State is going to host Alexander for a visit this upcoming weekend.

Alexander was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, ranked 50th nationally by 247Sports Composite that listed him as the ninth-best defensive lineman in the cycle.

He committed to Georgia and enrolled as a freshman, but after one season there he transferred to USC where he now is looking for a new home after two years there.

In 28 games, Alexander has compiled 61 total tackles, 10 of them coming for a loss with 3.5 being sacks.

Former Georgia DL enters transfer portal again after controversial decision

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman redshirted this season, which led to his coach calling for rule changes to CFB

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Bear Alexander is entering the NCAA transfer portal. Alexander controversially elected to redshirt midway through his third season of college football.

Alexander transferred to the USC Trojans ahead of the 2023 college football season and has two years of eligibility left. The former Georgia defensive lineman recorded five tackles in three games with USC in 2024.

“Winner takes all,” said Alexander via social media on the day of the SEC championship game, which may have been a reference to him either transferring to Georgia or Texas.

Alexander is a former four-star recruit. A major reason he transferred to USC was to have a larger role with the Trojans, but he played around 30% of the snaps in USC’s game against the Michigan Wolverines, which led to him deciding to redshirt and enter the portal again to the dismay of USC coach Lincoln Riley.

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In 2023, Alexander recorded 47 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks for a porous USC defense, which was the most productive year of his college career. Many Georgia fans remember Alexander for recording a sack in UGA’s dominant 65-7 national championship win over TCU.

Lincoln Riley wants major changes after Bear Alexander’s decision to redshirt

USC head coach Lincoln Riley calls for a major college football change after UGA transfer Bear Alexander’s controversial redshirt decision

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is calling for a huge rule change to college football after he was blindsided (at least publicly) from Bear Alexander‘s decision to redshirt. Alexander, a former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman, chose to redshirt and enter the transfer portal after his third season of college football.

What rule change does Riley want? He wants redshirts to go away and thinks players should have five years of eligibility.

“I think guys should have five years,” said Riley. “Do whatever you want, play as much as you want or as little as you want, and the only way you get an extra one is if you have two season-ending injuries and miss the whole season.”

Bear Alexander’s decision to redshirt may have influenced Riley’s thinking on redshirts. Alexander is not the only player to decide to redshirt and enter the transfer portal in the middle of the season.

Riley has seen college football change a lot since he became the head coach of Oklahoma in 2017. Riley saw COVID-19 give an extra year of eligibility for all players and saw the rise of name, image and likeness in recent years. College football also allows players to no longer have to sit out for a season after entering the transfer portal.

Allowing players to stay for a fifth year would help some players that are good enough to play early, but don’t have the refined skillset the NFL is looking for, but it would be more expensive for schools and could hurt high school recruits.

USC Trojans without several key offensive starters for game vs. Wisconsin Badgers

USC Trojans without several key offensive starters vs. Wisconsin

The USC Trojans will be without offensive starters TE Lake McRee and WR Makai Lemon for Saturday’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers.

McRee and Lemon are among those ruled out on the Trojans’ pregame status report, along with backup offensive linemen Micah Banuelos and Kilian O’Connor and defensive lineman Bear Alexander.

Both McRee and Lemon were injured during USC’s loss to No. 12 Michigan last weekend. Neither were expected to be ready for Saturday’s matchup against Wisconsin. McRee is the most impactful absence of the group. He is USC’s second-leading receiver through three games with 12 catches and 134 yards.

The Trojans are also listing starting safety Akili Arnold as ‘questionable,’ though recent reports indicate he is doubtful to play. His status will be worth monitoring as kickoff approaches.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, will continue to be without players known to be out indefinitely, including QB Tyler Van Dyke, DL James Thompson Jr., WR Joseph Griffin Jr. and OL Leyton Nelson.

Wisconsin and USC will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS and Paramount+. Luke Fickell and his team will look to capitalize on an opportunity against a less-than-fully healthy USC group. A win would reverse the season-long outlook surrounding the team and program.

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USC top defensive lineman plans to redshirt, likely sitting out Saturday vs. Wisconsin

Some big news entering Saturday’s game between USC and Wisconsin:

News broke on Wednesday night that USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander will exercise a redshirt and sit out the remainder of the 2024 season. 247Sports’ Connor Morrissette had the story first.

This news breaks as the Wisconsin Badgers prepare for their road trip to Los Angeles, California for Saturday’s matchup with the Trojans. Significant to the on-field matchup, it means USC will likely be without a key member of its defensive line rotation.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener vs. USC

Alexander can redshirt if he appears in four games this season. He’s played in three, which means he can technically still suit up on Saturday. I’d say that result is extremely unlikely given the timing of this news.

The former top recruit had operated as mostly a depth piece at defensive line during the Trojans’ first three games of the season. He averaged 23 snaps per contest through three weeks and recorded just four total tackles.

The news leaves USC with a rotation of just four interior defensive linemen entering Saturday’s game against Wisconsin —  Gavin Meyer, Nate Clifton, Kobe Pepe and Devan Thompkins. Alexander was still a significant piece of that rotation despite not emerging into the star that many expected him to be.

The news is another chapter in what has been a puzzling career for Alexander. He played on the national title-winning Georgia Bulldogs in 2022 before transferring to USC ahead of the 2023 season. His 2023 campaign on an FBS-worst USC defense included 12 starts, 660 total snaps, 48 tackles, 7 TFL, 1.5 sacks and 4 pass deflections.

His role diminished entering 2024 as USC transitioned to a new defensive coordinator in D’Anton Lynn, asAlexander missed most of the spring period while the defense was being installed and as the program brought in several experienced veterans at the position. His playing time, or lack thereof, has been a constant story in and around the Trojans program to begin the year.

This news clears up what it will look like for the team going forward. Alexander appears poised to transfer, thinking a third college program in four seasons will be where it finally clicks.

Wisconsin and USC are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on CBS. The Trojans are fresh off a 27-24 loss to Michigan during which the Wolverines dominated on the ground, running for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Wisconsin will try to do the same against a shaky USC defensive front.

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Former Georgia DL plans to redshirt, enter transfer portal again

Reactions pour in after former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman intends to redshirt after playing in just three games for USC.

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Bear Alexander is electing to redshirt during his third season of college football. Alexander, who transferred to the USC Trojans ahead of the 2023 college football season, will have two years of eligibility left.

Bear Alexander is a former four-star recruit. Part of the reason why he transferred to USC was to have a larger role with the Trojans. However, he recently played around 30% of the snaps in USC’s most recent game against the Michigan Wolverines.

Alexander joins a pair of UNLV players in looking to redshirt and transfer after the 2024 season. The former Georgia defender has five tackles in three games with USC this season.

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Last year, Alexander recorded 47 tackles and 1.5 sacks for a porous USC defense. Now, he is looking for a new college football home midway through the season. Of course, he won’t be able to transfer until the portal window opens in December.

“There’s no story there,” said USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley when asked about Alexander’s lack of snaps on Tuesday. Alexander announced his intentions to transfer the following day.

Here are some reactions from the Georgia and college football media after Alexander entered the portal again.

Many Georgia fans remember Alexander for recording a sack in UGA’s 65-7 national championship win over TCU.

Bear Alexander exit reaffirms the need for Lincoln Riley to recruit true Trojans

Bear Alexander has sent a message. Lincoln Riley will hopefully get it.

USC football fans aren’t going to miss Bear Alexander for one simple reason: He didn’t really want to be a Trojan. He was immersed in his own personal dramas more than in the quest to make USC better. Bear Alexander tweeted about the need to free himself, to get more snaps and more overall playing time. Bear Alexander, who has chosen to redshirt and enter the transfer portal, is thinking about himself. Not that it’s a problem to think about oneself — that alone is not problematic. However, USC is trying to compete and pursue a Big Ten championship right now. Bear Alexander had a full offsseason in which he could have made choices about where to play and what he wanted to become. Now, the season is underway. This is a distraction for USC and an interruption of the flow of the season. Bear Alexander has become the story at USC in a week when the team and the football program have a lot of work to do in bouncing back from the loss to Michigan. Lincoln Riley needs to recruit true Trojans for all the obvious reasons. One is to avoid bringing aboard players who will be a distraction the way Bear Alexander was at USC.

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USC players can praise coaches, but it has to mean something for it to matter

The Bear Alexander transfer follows praise of Eric Henderson. Isaiah Raikes praised D’Anton Lynn before transferring. Words mean little.
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Bear Alexander praised Eric Henderson — “Coach Henny” — earlier this year at USC. Alexander claimed to know the value of receiving NFL-levle player development from USC’s newest defensive line coach. It turns out that praise really didn’t matter. Bear Alexander is transferring out of USC several months after rumblings that he would do so. That he waited until after the season started only reaffirms how much difficulty Bear Alexander had in making up his mind. It’s not the first time a USC football player has, in 2024, praised a coach and then gone out the door to the transfer portal. Recall Isaiah Raikes on D’Anton Lynn earlier this year:

“I knew their defense had a need for defensive linemen, and I wanted to come into somewhere where I felt like I could make a difference right away,” Raikes told (Trojans Wire’s Tim) Prangley. “Once I found out they were hiring Coach Lynn, that was definitely a big factor.”

“I know he can show me exactly what I need to do, and know exactly what he wants to see out of me to get drafted as high as possible,” Raikes said. He later added that “Physicality is a big thing. We got to be physical at the point of attack. We got to dominate, just taking over as a defensive line.”

The next time a USC player praises a coach, be sure to take it with a grain of salt, or at least be aware of the surrounding context.

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USC staff wants Bear Alexander go from great plays to great player

Lincoln Riley explains the difference between great plays and great players, using Bear Alexander as an example.

Bear Alexander came to Georgia from IMG Academy in Florida as the No. 50 overall player and No. 9 defensive lineman in the 247Sports composite rankings. Alexander transferred to USC in 2023.  He has shown flashes of greatness for the Bulldogs and Trojans, but he has also disappeared in games. This is in part due to drawing double and even triple teams, but roster moves and development this year should free him up this season at USC. Lincoln Riley and the USC coaching staff are trying to get a message across to Bear Alexander.

Riley said:

“It’s really important. He missed the majority of spring and so this camp is really important for him to to get going in terms of what we’re doing defensively. I know we’ve talked a lot about the the defensive line changes and how we’re playing and schematically and all that, so it’s a very very important camp for him. He’s shown that he’s got the ability to be an explosive player, but he’s also been a player that his inconsistencies have hurt us like any other player’s inconsistencies are going to hurt you. Whether it’s effort all the time, whether it’s being in the correct gap playing blocks, whether you want to play them aligning correctly. It’s all those little things that where you step up from being a guy that flashes to a guy that I truly term a great player.

On the outside, a lot of people think, ‘Well, I see a couple highlight plays or a sack here, this play that ended up on the highlights.’ That ain’t a great player; that’s a great play. A great player is somebody that does just routine things over and over and over. Their bad plays are not very bad, and then they’re capable of having a really good play here and there. We need him to take more steps in that direction. I think he’s got great intent to do it, but this stretch for him is going to be very very important.”

The 2024 season will show us if Bear Alexander can take the next step in his development at USC.  Maybe that next step is as simple as receiving Coach Riley’s challenge by sending a message of his own.  Connor Morrissette from USCFootball.com reported Alexander’s message to the USC coaching staff just before the next Trojan practice started, “The first scholarship player out to practice today is Bear Alexander. ”

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