USC football managed to lure in one of the best players on the transfer portal earlier this year, with Bear Alexander deciding to leave Georgia football and take his talents to the West Coast. But despite starting 12 contests in 2022 and registering a sack in the National Championship, Alexander wasn't guaranteed to be the number one option at defensive tackle for Kirby Smart, which led to him looking for opportunities elsewhere, as explained by Alexander's mentor, Tony Jones.

“If I can’t trust you with what you say, I’m out,” Jones said.

And as Jones revealed to the LA Times recently, USC was the perfect choice because Alexander had previously built a relationship with head coach Lincoln Riley while he was at Oklahoma.

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Riley did everything to try and get Bear Alexander to Norman but the former Bulldogs standout was worried Riley would take a job in the NFL. However, once things changed in Athens, it was a no-brainer for Alexander to link up with Riley for real this time.

“It wasn’t really much of a thought,” Alexander said earlier this month. “It was a relationship that had already been developed. It picked up pretty quick.”

Alexander is expected to be an immediate difference-maker for the Trojans defense and now gets to play for a man who is considered one of the best coaches in the nation. And if it wasn't for Jones, Alexander would probably still be at Georgia. He made Alexander realize that he was being betrayed after his integral role in the title run for the Bulldogs.