USC football defensive tackle Bear Alexander set high personal goals for himself at USC, according to a Friday tweet from LA Times USC beat writer Ryan Kartje.

“Bear Alexander has a few modest personal goals for his first season at USC: ‘Double-digit sacks, sophomore All-American,' he said,” wrote Kartje.

Alexander, a former four-star recruit from Terrell, Texas, committed to USC in April. He played in 12 games for the Bulldogs in 2022, earning nine total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass deflections. He gained two tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss when Georgia took a 65-7 victory over the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

He joined a 2023 USC football recruiting class that ranked seventh in the country and featured 15 transfers, including Alabama cornerback Tre'Quon Fegans and Wyoming offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon. Texas A&M lineman Anthony Lucas, Purdue defensive lineman Jack Sullivan and Arizona lineman Kyon Barrs joined the Trojans through the transfer portal. Four-star edge rusher Braylan Shelby committed to the 2023 USC football recruitment class in 2022.

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USC head coach Lincoln Riley highlighted the competitive depth of the defensive front seven during Pac-12 Media Day last week.

“It was fun to see, again, the competitive depth, especially in some key areas — the defensive front seven chief among those,” Riley said, via CBS Sports. “I think watching this team unfold from spring, into summer, a lot to be excited about.”

USC's defense allowed 415.1 total yards and 27.9 points per game, putting them at seventh in the Pac-12 in both categories. Defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu, who was taken in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, took first place on the Trojans' roster with 13.5 sacks. Tuipulotu, linebacker Eric Gentry and safety Max Williams led the squad with two forced fumbles each.