Lincoln Riley claims 'there's no story' behind Bear Alexander's diminished role in USC defense, ire from his father

When touted defensive lineman Bear Alexander transferred from Georgia to USC ahead of the 2023 football season, he was hailed as a cornerstone for what the Trojans hoped to be a defensive turnaround. A year and some change later, things might be souring in Los Angeles.

While the Trojans defense does appear stouter and edgier with a new coordinator and personnel overhauls in 2024, Alexander seems to have perhaps a smaller role in it. He played just 21 snaps on defense in USC’s loss to Michigan on Saturday.

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And after the game, Alexander tweeted “FREE 9-OWE” along with pictures of himself in Michigan Stadium, as his father also agitated online.

Asked about it on Tuesday, USC head coach Lincoln Riley demurred on the situation.

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“He played over a third of the game. People want to act like he’s not playing snaps. He’s doing a good job for us out here,” Riley said. USC played 58 defensive snaps on Saturday.

He continued: “There’s no story there. I know you guys are looking for one. There’s no story there. Guy’s out here working hard. He’s in a new system, with a new coach. He’s getting better, and I think he’s going to get better. It should be hard to play D-line at USC. It ought to be kind of hard. It wasn’t hard last year, that’s why were weren’t very good up front. You know what, we’re pretty decent up there. And it’s hard. The margins are thin. So sometimes, it’s not what someone is not doing, but it’s competitive, and there’s tough decisions to make every week.”

Alexander’s dad, Tony Jones, took a different tact on social media.

As he proclaimed that there’s not a defensive tackle in college football better than his son — some would argue the Trojans opponent last Saturday has one, maybe two, that are better — he also was seemingly set off by a video from a popular USC account singling out his son.

“But sh*t what yall want from him with 21 f*cking snaps. But let’s watch every snap from the interior defensive lineman this game and let’s see who the f*ck was WHO. My son won’t be the mf scapegoat, if you ask me he had the best game inside, in only 21 f*cking snaps,” Jones said in a reply to the video.

He continued, claiming no one on the USC staff or any of Alexander’s teammates would call him out for not being a hard worker or practicing hard enough.

Jones also posted numerous clips of the USC defensive line from Saturday’s loss, some with Alexander in the lineup and some without, as he tried to contrast the quality in play with his son on and off the field.

But for whatever ire there might be coming from Alexander and his father, Riley remained adamant that there’s nothing untoward going on, and Alexander is a key part of the defense.

“But if you see guys out on the field, we’re excited about what we see on the practice field and believe that they give us a chance to win. Go look at the last snap of the game, see if he’s on the field,” Riley said of USC’s last-gasp 4th down defensive attempt in the final minute of the game at the goal line. “There’s no story there. Guy is getting better. He needs to keep improving, and I’m confident that he will with the coaching we have and the room that we have him in.”