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.
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.
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. ”
The first scholarship player out to practice today is Bear Alexander.
The Outland Trophy goes to the best interior lineman in college football. USC doesn’t have elite depth at the position across the board, but the Trojans definitely have a few individual stars. Monheim and Alexander are the two big shining lights in the trenches for the Trojans. If USC is going to be good this season, those two players have to lead the way on offense and defense, respectively.
They will also need help. One man is not enough to make a complete defense, as Tuli Tuipulotu found out for USC in 2022.
2023 injuries and coaching changes could lead to a better-than-expected 2024 for the USC defensive line.
College football analyst and magazine publisher Phil Steele has rated the USC defensive line No. 46 in the country heading into the 2024 season. Bear Alexander is back for his third year of college football, his second with the Trojans and his first with new defensive line coach Eric Henderson. Former five-star prospect Anthony Lucas received praise from defensive ends coach Shaun Nua as being the most versatile player on the line, and he should shine both on the interior and exterior of the line. Can Lucas reach his potential with some “Dawgwork”? On the outside, Jamil Muhammad started the 2023 season hot, but his production tailed off toward the end of the year, which led to speculation that injuries might have caught up with him. However, with the increased depth this season, the load will be lighter and he should thrive.
Last year, 6-5, 250-pound Braylan Shelby flashed his elite combination of size and quickness. This year Kameryn Fountain, a 6-6, 256-pound freshman from Mobile, Alabama, was lured away from Alabama and Georgia to play at USC. He is young, but he has shown that he has a high ceiling.
We don’t know if Isaiah Raikes asked for a larger NIL cut, but if he did, it was easy for Lincoln Riley to say no.
We don’t know for a fact that Isaiah Raikes asked for a bigger NIL bag from USC. Lincoln Riley declined to elaborate on the details connected to Raikes’ departure from USC football in the transfer portal, days after the Trojans retained Bear Alexander in a dramatic 48-hour sequence. We don’t know with certainty why players leave football programs. This stuff happens behind the scenes, and no one benefits from airing the deeper details of movements inside the locker room the public will never see.
However, while we don’t know exactly what happened, we can imagine what might have happened behind closed doors with Isaiah Raikes and other players who transfer out of a program shortly after coming in. This matter could be as simple as Raikes not being as good as he thought he was. It could be that clear-cut. If there was any friction, however, there’s a chance that Raikes might have angled for a bigger NIL bag.
If we play with this hypothetical, let’s just come out and say it: If Raikes did want a bigger NIL amount, he didn’t deserve it. More precisely, he didn’t deserve NIL at the same level Bear Alexander does. Bear Alexander turned in an actual season of great work for USC. Raikes hasn’t played a down for USC. If we’re comparing those players and any possible NIL investment the two players might deserve, Bear deserved it more than Raikes did.
We talked about this at The Voice of College Football:
Join Matt and me on YouTube to discuss these topics on the first call in show where the fans are the stars: Isaiah Raikes, Jason Zandamela and Trequon Fegans enter portal Article on Families questioning House of Victory 6pm PT/ 9pm ET https://t.co/RKohuyS34qpic.twitter.com/toop9VG6N1
Bear Alexander changes the stakes for USC in the spring transfer portal window.
Georgia Bulldog transfer Bear Alexander, who transferred to USC in the fall of 2023, has been the big story at USC football this week. It was thought by many that he was going to enter the transfer portal before the start of the 2024 season, but after having a conversation with Lincoln Riley and new USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson, Alexander chose to stay at USC.
The Texas native by way of IMG Academy (Florida) made an immediate impact by bolstering the Trojan defensive line last season. He recorded 48 tackles, including 6.5 for loss (with 1.5 sacks). He led the team with 4 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass break-up, appearing in all 13 games and starting 12.
As a true freshman at Georgia in 2022, Bear Alexander appeared in 12 games. He recorded nine tackles, including two sacks, during his one season with the Bulldogs, helping Georgia to the 2022 national championship with a win over TCU 65-7. His role was minor, but he did get a sack in that title game versus Max Duggan and TCU.
The former five-star defensive tackle was down to a final six of Colordado, Miami, Oregon, Texas and Penn State last spring after entering the transfer portal and joining the Trojans.
Bear Alexander staying at USC means a number of things for the Trojans, but here’s the biggest point: Instead of having to replace Bear in the spring transfer portal window, USC can add to Bear in the spring portal. USC can stockpile depth and quality instead of having to replace roster spots and tread water.
BREAKING: USC DL Bear Alexander plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, @Hayesfawcett3 reports.
Trojans Wire staff writer Tim Prangley walks through the timeline of events surrounding Bear Alexander.
USC Twitter and message boards were on fire earlier this week in a whirlwind 24 hours of speculation. Everyone was asking: Is Bear Alexander entering the transfer portal? There are only a handful of spots on the USC first string that most people who follow Trojan football have written in ink for the 2024 season, and Bear Alexander was probably at the top of that list. This apparently had caught the coaching staff and USC’s main collective, House of Victory, off guard. Bear had just signed a new deal with House of Victory last week. But one tweet Tuesday morning put all of that certainty into doubt.
In the morning, a buzz started among reliable sources that Bear Alexander planned to enter the transfer portal. Later that morning, USC J shared in a post on X that he had confirmed with a source very close to Alexander than he would transfer due to family reasons. It wasn’t long before On3 and 247Sports also reported the speculation. Some sources were even speculating destinations in Texas — specifically Texas, Texas A&M, and SMU.
Later that evening, as the story was unfolding, Mark Rogers, Matt Zemek and I went live during our weekly live show, Trojan Conquest Live. In the opening segment I stressed my feelings on why I didn’t think this was a done deal.
USC had just hired Eric Henderson, a well-respected defensive line coach from the Los Angeles Rams who had helped Kobie Turner lead all rookies in sacks and drew a huge endorsement from arguably the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history, Aaron Donald. Alexander was had a starting role on the team and would be able to say he received a year of development for the NFL under Henderson. Not many things could raise his stock more than that, and it’s certainly not worth the pocket change of NIL compared to a top NFL draft pick in 2025.
Another issue that struck me as odd was the timing of all this. It was strange. The spring transfer portal window was not set to open for another week on April 16. Sure, there are always back channels before players enter the draft, but things behind the scenes were not as clandestine as the typical feelers that go out in these situations.
Most importantly, I stressed that he was not in the portal, and could not enter the transfer portal until the aforementioned window had opened next week. I put my faith in Henderson to use the relationship he had developed with Bear to explain the benefits of a year with him at USC. Coaches don’t just recruit players from high school and the transfer portal; coaches have to recruit their own roster. If there was even the slightest chance of Bear staying, it was likely Henderson would convince him USC was the right place for him.
I asked the Internet to do the unthinkable, be patient and let things unfold before people freak out (or for many rival fans, celebrate too loudly).
Fans of all parties involved didn’t have to wait long. Speculation ended on Wednesday morning when Bear stated in a post on X, “I’m not crystal clear on all of the noise or what any of this portal mess is about…I’m here to finish what I started and that’s chasing a natty here at USC with my teammates.”
Texas can’t afford to be picky in upgrading its roster weakness.
The Texas roster is one of the four or five best in college football. Yet if there is a fatal flaw, the team lacks at defensive tackle.
The above sentiment isn’t new to many who have followed the team. Albeit some have been of the belief that the team could make do with the roster on hand. Perhaps they can, but it’s not something Texas should take for granted heading into the portal reopening.
Presently, Vernon Broughton II is seen as a potential starter at nose tackle. Respectfully, it’s unclear Broughton should even be slated as the backup nose tackle. He’s been too small and has shown vulnerability in run defense. He’s a good player, but unless he has shown marked improvement in size, strength and technique he’s perhaps better suited at the off-ball defensive tackle.
Arizona transfer Tiaoalii Savea could be an answer at the position, but there’s still something to prove for the newcomer.
In addition to concerns over the nose tackle position, there’s a lack of proven depth on the interior. Not all of the defensive tackles on campus would be mowed over by SEC offensive lines, but the others might lack the playmaking ability or experience-acquired football intelligence it takes not to be the weak link in the defense.
Enter USC defensive tackle Bear Alexander who doesn’t lack size, playmaking ability or experience and Texas has one of perhaps many potential transfer upgrades on the interior should he enter the portal. The Longhorns don’t have to add Alexander, but they do need to add another impactful player to ensure a chance at a title run.
At seemingly every position but defensive tackle, tight end and receiver, although Texas could end up better at the latter two by volume of quality additions, this team figures to be better than its last iteration. The Longhorns need to have urgency to shore up their one position of need when the portal reopens.
USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander plans to enter the transfer portal, according to a report from On3.
The former five-star recruit recorded 48 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in Alex Grinch’s defense in 2023. Grinch is now Wisconsin’s safeties coach after USC fired him midseason, giving the Badgers a connection to the highly touted lineman.
Alexander played his freshman season at Georgia before leaving for USC. The new school in 2024 will be his seventh in as many years dating back to high school.
The potential is undeniable. The Bradenton, Florida native was 247Sports’ No. 50 player in the class of 2022, No. 9 defensive lineman and No. 9 recruit from the state of Florida. But that potential has still yet to fully blossom on the field.
BREAKING: USC DL Bear Alexander plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, @Hayesfawcett3 reports.
Wisconsin has a clear need at defensive line in the transfer portal for the spring window. The team is razor-thin at the position with only James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal as experienced contributors there.
Yes, there is a red flag with Alexander’s history of finding a new school every year since high school began. But if Wisconsin can get the requisite buy-in, he could be an impactful addition.
UPDATE: Alexander recently shot down the report that he’d be entering the portal.
I’m not crystal clear on all of the noise or what any of this portal mess is about…I'm here to finish what I started and that's chasing a natty here at USC with my teammates #FightOn
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Isaiah Raikes, Jason Zandamela and Trequon Fegans enter portal
6pm PT/ 9pm ET
