USC Trojans Transfer Bear Alexander Lists Oregon, Penn State, SMU as Destinations

Former USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander is officially back in the transfer portal again and has listed the Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, and SMU Mustangs as the schools that are standing out to him. Which program will Alexander be playing for in 2025?
Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander (90) gestures during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander (90) gestures during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Former USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander is on the move again as he officially entered the transfer portal on Monday.

Alexander has told On3 that Oregon, Penn State and SMU are the schools that are standing out to him. He already has visits lined up for Oregon and Penn State. All three of those of programs are preparing for the College Football Playoff. 

The Texas native is rated as the No. 2 defensive lineman and the No. 14 overall prospect in the 247Sports Transfer Rankings. 

Bear Alexander
Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander (90) gestures during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

“Well this would be his third program,” said Cooper Petagna of 247Sports. “That’s what sticks out. I mean the biggest thing is your best ability is availability and for Bear Alexander that’s been a little bit of an achilles heel towards his game. But you talk about a guy that can do a lot of different things, this is why he was really highly touted coming out. He’s athletic, he’s position versatile, you can play him off the edge, you can play him inside.

“These big guys they continue to get a chance and right now for these teams you have to look at it this way, this a one year rental, so this makes a lot of sense. They’re going to get him at a cheaper price than they would have when he entered the market just a couple of years ago when he was leaving Georgia. they’re going to say Bear Alexander you have one chance to get this right because the NFL views you as a kind of an early day two NFL draft choice. . . . But right now he’s day three because of the football character and character concerns. He hasn’t been able to stay on the field,” Petagna continued. 

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Alexander played at four different high schools. He signed with Georgia as a four-star recruit and the No. 9 defensive lineman and No. 50 overall prospect, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings in the 2022 recruiting cycle. As a freshman he appeared in 12 of 15 games for the Bulldogs national championship team. 

Alexander would transfer to USC in 2023 after his freshman campaign, where he appeared in 13 games, including 12 starts. He recorded 48 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. 

Following his sophomore season, Alexander flirted with the transfer portal again in the spring but ultimately decided to return to USC. The Trojans were active themselves in the portal bringing in seniors Nate Clifton from Vanderbilt and Gavin Meyer from Wyoming. Both would end up winning the two starting defensive tackle positions in fall camp, moving Alexander to the second team for the start of the season. 

As a result, Alexander saw a decreased role under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and made the decision to redshirt and sit out the remainder of the season following the Trojans loss to Michigan in Week 4 to preserve a year of eligibility. Alexander will have two years of eligibility remaining.

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Kendell Hollowell
KENDELL HOLLOWELL

Kendell Hollowell, a Southern California native has been been covering collegiate athletics since 2020 via radio and digital journalism. His experience includes covering programs such as the USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kendell He also works in TV production for the NFL Network. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kendell was a collegiate athlete on the University of Wyoming and Adams State football team. He is committed to bringing in-depth insight and analysis for USC athletics.