Lincoln Riley addresses Bear Alexander status after reports of expected transfer from USC

In a surprising move, USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander made the decision to sit out the remainder of the season and take a redshirt with the expectation being that he will then transfer. This also comes just days after head coach Lincoln Riley insisted there was “no story” around Alexander’s playing time.

For anyone hoping to get Lincoln Riley’s thoughts on the situation, they’re not going to get them just yet. For the time being, he says he’s not going to answer any questions on the situation with Bear Alexander.

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“Lincoln Riley says he will not take questions about Bear Alexander’s decision to redshirt this season,” USC beat writer Ryan Kartje posted.

Bear Alexander initially came to USC as a transfer from Georgia. He joined the program after transferring in 2023. Since then, he’s played in 26 games for USC. He has 52 total tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for a loss during his time with the Trojans. However, his playing time has gone down in 2024.

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This comes after Bear Alexander came into the 2024 season expected to be a key piece of the revamped USC defense. He was even named to the Bednarik Award preseason watchlist and the Nagurski Trophy preseason watchlist.

Coming out of high school, Bear Alexander was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was also the seventh-ranked defensive lineman in that recruiting cycle.

As a coach, Lincoln Riley has been criticized in the past for his ability to put effective defenses on the field. So, a player like Bear Alexander was expected to make an impact if the team was going to improve on that side of the ball this season. However, that side of the ball has managed to improve even without the production from Alexander.

For his part, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn declined to comment on the situation around Bear Alexander. However, he did make a point to praise the defense’s depth along the defensive line.

“Feel good,” Lynn said. “We have a good rotation of guys. We feel like that’s one of the strengths of the team. There’s a handful of guys that can go in there. They can play, they can operate, they know what to do. We feel really good about the depth.”

USC is coming off a close loss to the Michigan Wolverines and is now turning its focus to the program’s first Big Ten home game, with the Wisconsin Badgers visiting.