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Once one of the most sought-after defensive linemen in the country, USC defensive tackle Bear Alexander will be sitting out the rest of the season to redshirt. And USC football coach Lincoln Riley is apparently not interested in talking about it.
Days after Alexander's decision was made public, which came after Alexander and his father had been publicly upset about his perceived lack of playing time in the Trojans' Big Ten opener against Michigan, Riley spoke to the media. But just not much about Alexander.
“Lincoln Riley says he will not take questions about Bear Alexander’s decision to redshirt this season,” the Los Angeles Times' Ryan Kartje wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Kartje later followed up on his initial post:
“Lincoln Riley did call the news of Alexander’s decision ‘surprising'. He was later asked about his confidence in the defensive line.
‘A lot of people want to play with this defense and this defensive line right now,' Riley said. ‘We’ve got a good, hungry group in there.'”
If Alexander transfers from USC, it will continue a trend for the 21-year-old defensive lineman. Alexander, a native of Terrell, Texas, began high school in his hometown before transferring to Skyline in Dallas, then to Ryan in Denton, and then to IMG Academy in Florida.
Alexander initially committed to Georgia in February 2021, but he decommitted from the Bulldogs in June 2021 only to re-commit four months later. He spent his freshman season in Athens, where he would win a national championship, before entering the transfer portal and ultimately moving to USC before the 2023 season.
After performing well during his sophomore season, during which he recorded 48 tackles, Alexander reportedly planned to enter the transfer portal again during the spring, but he ultimately remained with USC and began the 2024 season with the Trojans.
However, following USC's third game of the season, a 27-24 road conference loss to Michigan, Alexander is done for the year in order to redshirt and thus preserve a year of eligibility. Alexander's father Tony Jones said that playing time was the reason for the decision.
“We made clear what our goals are,” Jones told ESPN. “That goal is to be a full-time starter and leader on the defense like we came there to be.”
Jones indicated that Alexander should be playing “35 or 40 snaps a game.”
Alexander will remain with the team and practice throughout the season, Jones said. The Trojans are at home this weekend; they host Wisconsin on Saturday.
