Departure of Bear Alexander could be a net positive for USC football team

The Bear Alexander era is over at USC. Not that it really ever got started in the first place. Now, the Trojan football program can move forward without distraction, which will be worth more than anything the highly-touted but moderately productive defensive tackle ever brought to Southern California.

Wednesday, the junior announced his intention to sit out the remainder of the 2024 season thus reserving his ability to count this season as a redshirt before entering the transfer portal when it opens later this fall. While that decision means the Trojans will be down one marquee name on the roster, it doesn't mean that the product on the field from head coach Lincoln Riley's team will suffer much, if at all.

The simple fact is that Alexander has been a relative non-factor for the Trojans since transferring in from Georgia prior to the 2023 season. Last fall, he registered 48 tackles (7.0 for loss) but just 1.5 sacks in 13 games.

Those numbers were respectable, however, his presence on the USC defensive line didn't improve the team's overall performance. The Trojans finished 2023 ranked 116th nationally in total defense and rushing defense.

This year, the Trojans are on pace to improve greatly in each of those areas as they sit at No. 47 in the NCAA in total defense and No. 90 in rushing defense. However, those improvements haven't been due to anything Alexander has done.

That's because, in three games played, he registered only four tackles. That put him on pace for just 16 tackles on the season.

To understand just how unimportant Alexander was to the Trojans this year, keep in mind that last Saturday, in a physical game against Michigan, one that saw the Wolverines run the ball 46 times for 290 yards, Alexander played only 21 of the 58 defensive snaps for his team.

In a game where the Trojans had to have an all-hands-on-deck approach along the defensive line given Michigan's run-heavy game plan, Alexander was a spare part who only spelled the players in front of him on the depth chart. He did register three tackles but his presence wasn't enough to help the Trojans stop the Wolverine ground attack in the 27-24 loss that saw Michigan throw for only 32 total yards.

Now that Alexander has officially stepped away from the program, USC fans are free to admit what they didn't want to say all offseason. Alexander isn't worth the headache that he brings to the program.

Remember, this past spring, he flirted with entering the transfer portal. Though he and those in his camp eventually denied that he was ever actually in the portal in April, that was the first sign of his discontentment.

Then, this fall, USC head coach Lincoln Riley hardly went a week without having to field questions about Alexander and his role in the defense. That was understandable given that Alexander is a former four-star recruit and a former top-50 recruit in the nation (according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings).

However, the reality is that Alexander has been nothing but a vagabond since his high school days. Since 2018, he's played for four different high schools and two different universities. That's not the sign of a player any program wants to count on as a foundational piece, even in the transfer portal era of college football.

What's more, he had recently shown signs of being a malcontent. Following the game at Michigan, he put a post on X that read "Free 9-owe" (90).

Then, on Tuesday, Riley was asked about Alexander's status and he said, "There's no story there. I know you guys are looking for one - there's no story there."

Riley was either wrong or was being misleading because a day later, Alexander's decision to redshirt and enter the portal became public. Now, the Trojans are moving on but how big of an adjustment will that be?

Likely, not much of one given that Alexander was just a role player and a depth piece along the defensive front. Were it not for his high school recruiting ranking and the fact that his name is "Bear", there wouldn't have been much talk about him in the first place, nor should there have been.

Alexander never lived up to the hype as a Trojan. Now, he is off in search of greener pastures, meaning the Trojans can focus on the development of younger players while not worrying about satisfying an ineffective player who isn't worth the headache he seems to bring. Here's betting that in just a few weeks, if not sooner, USC fans will likely forget that he was even part of the 2024 team at all.