As the college football season intensifies, the trend of redshirting is also gaining momentum, with USC defensive tackle Bear Alexander opting to preserve his eligibility by sitting out the remainder of the season, according to Connor Morrissette from 247 Sports.
“USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander is planning to redshirt, as confirmed by his guardian Tony Jones,” Morrissette reported, noting that Jones stated, “He’s taking the shirt,” in a text message. Alexander was absent from practice on Wednesday after participating on Tuesday, and he communicated his decision to head coach Lincoln Riley earlier that day.
This decision follows a game in which Alexander played only 21 out of 58 defensive snaps during USC’s 27-24 defeat to Michigan in Ann Arbor. On Tuesday, Riley mentioned that Alexander was “getting settled in” with the defensive scheme under coordinator D’Anton Lynn after having missed a significant portion of spring practices. He also played down concerns regarding Alexander’s limited playing time, emphasizing that the defensive tackle was contributing well despite the low snap count.
“He played over a third of the game,” Riley remarked on Tuesday. “So people want to act like the guy’s not playing snaps. He’s doing a good job for us out here. He’s getting better. There’s no story there. I know you guys are looking for one, but there’s no story there. The guy’s out here working hard. He’s improving.”
Alexander, a highly regarded recruit from the class of 2022, initially committed to Georgia and played his true freshman season there before transferring to USC after the 2022 campaign. So far this season, he has recorded just five tackles in three games. Although he has not formally announced plans to transfer again, indications suggest that this may be a likely next step for him.
