Why Defensive Lineman Bear Alexander Transferred To Oregon Ducks From USC Trojans

One of the most intriguing newcomers on the Oregon Ducks 2025 roster is defensive lineman Bear Alexander.

One of the most coveted prospects in the transfer portal after announcing his departure from USC, Alexander spoke to the media after Tuesday's practice, and he talked about why he chose Oregon and the development he's received from Ducks coaches like defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and defenisve line coach Tony Tuioti.

"Having multiple multiple counter moves of just one move. Just being able to go to the next move and just have different, a variety of pass moves off of that one," said Alexander when asked about a specific part of his game that he is working on.

A former top recruit, the Ducks are Alexander's third collegiate team after he transferred from the Georgia Bulldogs to the USC Trojans to the Ducks. He won a national championship with Georgia and coach Kirby Smart in his freshman year, but he surprised many with his decision to transfer across the country to USC.

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Bear Alexander (99) celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs during the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After playing a the full 2023 season with the Trojans and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams, Alexander only played three games in 2024 for USC coach Lincoln Riley. Alexander seemingly shut himself down in order to maintain his redshirt, and he immediately entered the transfer portal when it opened in the winter.

Now with the Ducks, the talented defensive lineman talked about why he chose to play for Oregon and coach Dan Lanning:

"Knowing I'm gonna be pushed as a player and just reach my full potential here at Oregon," said Alexander.

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive lineman Bear Alexander (90) gestures during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The former Trojan also spoke about his recruiting process when he was in the transfer portal for a second time, visiting the Ducks. Alexander revealed that former Oregon defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell hosted him, fellow transfers themselves.

"They kind of told me, man, it was gonna be tough come here," Alexander said. "So just kind of hearing from them firsthand and kind of giving me like a view of what it's gonna be like."

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In fact, Tuioti used Caldwell and Harmon as comparisons for the USC transfer when describing Alexander's presence in the program.

“He reminds me a lot of how Burch was and how Jamaree Caldwell was when they first got here, but he's been great. Been awesome in the building, coming up, getting extra meetings. You know, he's doing all the right things," Tuioti said of Alexander.

As a former Trojan, Alexander is also familiar with Ducks offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon, a fellow USC transfer. Alexander talked about facing his old teammate, one of the top interior offensive linemen in the country, in practice.

"Iron sharpening iron. I'm sure coach (A'lique) Terry is developing him, getting him right, and we've been just going at it all spring,"

Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In March, Lanning spoke about Alexander's first few months of being a Duck, and he certainly has Oregon fans excited about the defensive line in 2025.

"I'm really excited about Bear, said Lanning. "You know, obviously this guy has been through transition, but he hit Oregon, with his feet on the ground and running. He got it's up here every single day, trying to get extra football. He takes it very seriously."

Ducks fans will get to watch Alexander compete inside Autzen Stadium for the first time at the spring game on April 26.