Bear Alexander recalls first interaction with Caleb Williams, how the USC QB aided his recruitment

One of the prized gets out of the transfer portal this offseason was Georgia defensive tackle Bear Alexander, who committed to USC after some additional recruiting by a special player.

Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams helped recruit Alexander, building a nice bond leading into his decision on a transfer.

“We was texting throughout the process because he was wondering like, man, ‘Were you going to leave Georgia?'” Bear Alexander said. “We had talked about it and I was still kind of indecisive.”

The talented top-50 prospect would eventually make the decision to go to USC, joining up with Lincoln Riley and his operation. Williams was thrilled to see his hard work recruiting pay off.

“He thought it was a joke,” Bear Alexander said, describing a call to Williams after his commitment. “He was like, ‘Man, are you coming for real?’ ‘Yeah, I’m coming for real this time.'”

An elite recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, Bear Alexander was a high four-star prospect who ranked as the No. 43 overall player in the class. He was the No. 7 defensive lineman in his cycle.

Alexander actually chose Georgia over Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, too. Alexander said he was ‘secretly committed’ to the Sooners but ended up with the Bulldogs on signing day.

The connection Riley forged, though, would pay dividends down the road.

And it’s the Trojans who stand to benefit, getting a key defensive piece needing to shore up a defense that kept the team from a playoff appearance last year. Alexander should instantly beef up the defensive front.

He was actually reasonably productive in his first and only season at Georgia.

As a true freshman, Bear Alexander appeared in 12 of 15 games for the Bulldogs in 2022. He recorded nine tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups and 13 quarterback hurries.