Bear Alexander goes in-depth on decision to leave Georgia, transfer to USC

It wasn’t an easy decision for Bear Alexander to leave Georgia. In doing so, the former four-star defensive lineman walked away from a team that has won back-to-back national championships and is on top of the college football world at the moment.

Alexander, however, saw the opportunity to make a bigger impact elsewhere. It didn’t take him long to land on a destination, as less than a week after entering the portal he announced his commitment to USC. In an interview with On3’s JD PicKell, Alexander opened up on his transfer to the Trojans and why coach Lincoln Riley played a big part.

“Overall for me, man, it’s up and coming,” he said. “I mean, we’re building from the ground up. Last year they had a pretty good season and Coach (Shaun) Nua and Lincoln, man, those are just two amazing guys. So, it was a pretty good fit for me overall.”

Alexander ranked as the No. 43 overall player and No. 7 defensive lineman in the 2022 class according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He has a chance to fill a big need for USC at defensive tackle, as the Trojans lost Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Tuli Tuipulotu to the NFL.

Bear Alexander played 163 defensive snaps for Georgia as a true freshman to record nine tackles (three for loss) and two sacks. That included two tackles for loss and a sack in the Bulldogs’ 65-7 victory in the title game against TCU.

Still, with so much defensive line talent at Georgia, Alexander wasn’t sure how many opportunities he would see moving forward and felt it was time to move on. That didn’t make it an less difficult to say goodbye to his teammates, though.

“I mean, it was hard, you know?” he said. “Those are my brothers. (Defensive line coach) Tray Scott, he developed me a ton, just the time while being there. It was hard, pretty hard for me. Mykel Williams, that was one of my great bros, that’s one of my bros. So, coming in, we was roommates together and you know, we got to see the field together. So, leaving, you know, it wasn’t an easy decision, but man, it kinda played a big part.”

It’s no secret that Los Angeles represents a chance at many more opportunities off the field. With NIL drastically changing the landscape of college sports, it’s hard not to wonder whether that played a part in Alexander’s decision.

But according to the defensive lineman, it was more about the prestige of the USC program and the opportunity to play under Riley, one of the nation’s biggest coaching names at only 39 years old.

“I mean, not pretty much a big role,” Alexander said of NIL. “Like, I’m not gonna say my family necessarily come from money, but we drove a Porsche before I drove a Porsche now, so it’s not really a big role necessarily. I mean, it’s about the program, the place, how the people, I mean, how they treat you. Those are pretty much big deciding factors for me when it comes to looking for a program.”

USC is coming off of an 11-3 finish in Riley’s inaugural season and has completely changed the perception of the program in just one year, but it wasn’t perfect. Defense was a big area to address after the Trojans allowed a combined 93 points in losses in the Pac-12 Championship and Cotton Bowl to close the season.

By adding the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Alexander, USC did just that. Both sides will hope the move pays off for them in 2023 as Riley and the Trojans attempt to take the next step forward.