Back in September, USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander elected to redshirt and leave the team due to frustration over his playing time. Three months later, Alexander officially has a new home. On Friday, Alexander announced his commitment to Oregon. Thanks to his redshirt this season, he will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Alexander’s journey has certainly been a wild one. In high school, he attended four different schools in four years. A blue chip recruit, he committed to Georgia, and saw playing time as a freshman on the Bulldogs’ 2022 national title team.
Alexander entered the transfer portal following his freshman season and committed to USC. As a sophomore in 2023, he had a solid season, and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise abysmal defense. He entered spring 2024 projected as one of the top defensive linemen in the country.
Since then, however, Alexander’s story has been a mess. He briefly entered the portal again last spring, before removing his name a few days later—essentially an NIL holdout of sorts. Then, after clashing with the new defensive coaching staff due to concerns over his attitude and work ethic, Alexander was relegated to a reserve role at the start of the season.
Even though he was not starting, Alexander still saw significant snaps in USC’s first three games of the season. Following the Michigan game, however, he decided to redshirt and depart from the team, with the intention of entering the transfer portal once it opened.
Now, Alexander is headed up to the Pacific Northwest. When he enrolls at Oregon in January, it will mark the seventh different school that he has attended in eight years.
If the Ducks’ coaching staff is able to work Alexander out of his attitude and work ethic issues, he has the potential to be one of the top defensive linemen in the country. But if they cannot, his addition could prove to be a massive headache for the program.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Former USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander lands at Oregon
