USC DL Bear Alexander makes decision to redshirt, per report

USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander intends to redshirt, according to a report from Connor Morrissette at USCFootball.com.

Alexander has played in all three of USC’s games so far this season, recording four tackles in the process, as well as one quarterback hurry. His usage has declined from the 2023 season, though, potentially leading to some unrest.

He played just 21 snaps on defense in USC’s loss to Michigan on Saturday.

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.

“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.”

Clearly things were either not entirely right between the two parties or something changed in the middle of this week to impact Alexander’s decision.

As a recruit, Bear Alexander was a highly coveted prospect, a top-50 recruit nationally. He checked in as the No. 43 overall recruit in the country in the 2022 recruiting class, as well as the No. 7 defensive lineman in the class.

Alexander also checked in as the No. 8 overall player in the state of Florida, hailing from IMG Academy. His hometown is Denton, Texas.

On3’s Andrew Graham also contributed to this report.