A lot went into former Georgia football player Bear Alexander transferring over to USC.
Despite a breakthrough performance in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game vs. TCU, defensive end Bear Alexander still decided to transfer from Georgia to USC after one year.
Alexander may not hail from The Peach State, but he was an emerging star along the defensive line in Athens. So when he decided to put his name into the portal, Dawg Nation was a bit shocked. Even more so, the fact he transferred to USC as opposed to either Texas or Texas A&M in his home state. Of course, his move to the West Coast was calculated and huge pickup for the 2023 Trojans.
Apparently, Alexander left Georgia because he and his mentor Tony Jones were not guaranteed a major role on the 2023 Dawgs defense. Alexander did not lock down a starting job this spring…
Here is what Jones told The Los Angeles Times about Alexander's intention to transfer to USC.
Did Alexander and Jones make the right decision or should they have stuck it out in Athens longer?
Why Bear Alexander transferred from Georgia to USC this offseason, explained
For biased reasons, I would have loved for Alexander to stay. He is an immensely talented player, one with a high motor and a knack for finding the football. I get that cracking Georgia's deep defensive line rotation is not the least bit easy, but I firmly believe Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann would have eventually gotten the most out of his talent, as opposed to Alex Grinch.
See at USC, Alexander goes from a rotational piece in Athens to a focal point of the defense in Los Angeles. Since this is his one free transfer, Alexander is eligible to play right away in his true sophomore season. With Caleb Williams back for one more season at USC, the Trojans could be on the verge of making the College Football Playoff for the first time. Too bad they won't beat UGA…
I would expect that Alexander will make the playoff once or twice more before he turns pro after his true junior year. It would not shock me if he benefits from jumping ship like Jermaine Johnson did. He went to a Florida State team that was still terrible and parlayed that into being a first-round pick by the New York Jets. So there is precedent of guys leaving to get more playing time.
Frankly, this move does help Alexander get more in-game reps at the college level as an underclassman. It could be key in his development. Conversely, I trust Grinch to coordinate a defense about as well as I ever could. For that reason, Lincoln Riley needs to dump him yesterday to avoid USC becoming Oklahoma West. At least at Georgia, Kirby Smart would have built him up.
Alexander can do whatever he wants, but leaving UGA might hinder his growth and development.
