Lincoln Riley details conversations with Bear Alexander amid transfer rumors

On April 9, reports surfaced claiming USC defensive end Bear Alexander planned to re-enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. Alexander began his career at Georgia before transferring to USC ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Less than 24 hours after the rumors emerged, Alexander put them to rest. The former four-star recruit publicly addressed the whirlwind gossip.

“I’m not crystal clear on all of the noise or what any of this portal mess is about,” Alexander said Wednesday via X. “I’m here to finish what I started and that’s chasing a natty here at USC with my teammates.”

On Friday, USC head coach Lincoln Riley backed Alexander’s claims. When asked about the conversations he had with Alexander about the portal, Riley claimed there was little to reveal.

“There really wasn’t that many conversations,” Riley said. “I know there was a bunch of stuff on the outside, I know he felt the need to address it just because there was so much on the outside, which can kind of start anywhere and everywhere this day and age. Kind of like they are every other week, just checking in with him.

“He’s been a little injured out here, nothing crazy, but hasn’t been able to go full-go in practice and that’s been tough for him because he’s dying to be out there with his teammates, he’s excited to get coached by Henny (defensive line coach Eric Henderson) and by Shaun and develop and learn this new defense. The biggest thing with him right now is just dealing with the frustration of not being healthy and wanting to be out there with the guys.”

USC needs Alexander on the field. The 6-foot-3, 313-pounder made an immediate impact for the Trojans last season, tallying 48 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss last season. He led the team with four quarterback hurries and was named honorable mention All-Pac-12.

With new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn implementing fresh defensive schemes, Riley hopes to see Bear Alexander back and better than ever in the 2024 campaign.

“He’s learning a new system and really obviously a very different way of playing the position than what we did a year ago, so he’s going to have to adapt and learn that like all of our defensive linemen are,” Riley said. “I think for him individually, it’s a battle of consistency.

“There’s obviously flashes of being a really good player, but the great ones it’s less flashes and more consistent. Certainly, he has that ability.”