Bear Alexander brings change of pace to Georgia DL
Georgia signed another impressive class during the 2022 cycle. It was headlined by a group of five and high-four-star defenders.
A few names among that group stood out, but none more than Bear Alexander. His first name just makes him sound like a menace in the trenches. The name might also make one immediately think that he’s some big, hulking, space eater. The next Jordan Davis, maybe?
But that’s not Bear Alexander. He has a different skillset than most of the Bulldog defensive linemen.
“Man, he’s a really good player,” senior outside linebacker Nolan Smith said earlier this week. “He looks after JC (Jalen Carter) a lot and tries to take everything he can from JC and I think he’s a great player. He works hard. The things he brings to the front is the speed and quickness. Sometimes we get a lot of those beefy big guys who are two-gapping and eating all those gaps up front. You usually don’t get a lot of speed and quickness that you see out of him and Jalen Carter. I think he uses his hands well and he loves to communicate with me.”
Let’s go ahead and establish that Bear Alexander isn’t some smaller-than-average defensive lineman. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 305 pounds by UGA. Georgia has his that quickness on third down this season.
With Carter dealing with an ankle injury early in the season then a knee injury sustained during the Missouri game, Bear Alexander has carve out a role for himself. He’s the only interior defensive linemen in the game when the Bulldogs turn to their dime package.
Considering what he had to do this spring, it’s impressive that Bear Alexander is playing this much this early. The former four-star prospect had to have surgery to repair a torn labrum soon after arriving on campus. That caused him to miss winter workouts, spring drills, and a portion of the summer workouts.
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If you follow recruiting, then you remember how Alexander’s recruitment was far from a smooth ride. He committed to Georgia early in the process before backing off of that pledge. Most thought he was bound for Texas A&M. He grew up in the Lone Star State and moved around quite a bit during his high school career. His final landing spot at the prep level was IMG Academy in Bradenton Fla.
Georgia got him back on the commitment list last fall and the drama ceased. When the dust settled on that class, Bear Alexander was ranked as the nation’s No. 43 overall prospect and No. 7 defensive lineman. He was the No. 8 player in Florida.
It was this time last year that the UGA staff was working hard to try and get Bear Alexander in the fold. Now it’s the talented defensive lineman trying to catch the coaches attention every chance he gets — so far, so good.
“He’s always trying to work and get better and make sure we’re all on the same page,” Smith said. “So, just as a young guy, him and actually 13 (Mykel Williams), I commend them. They’ve been working really hard.”
