DL Bear Alexander to redshirt remainder of season for USC

USC protect lineman Bear Alexander has decided to return a redshirt twelvemonth aft having a diminished domiciled connected nan No. 13 Trojans' defense complete nan first 3 games of this season.

Coach Lincoln Riley confirmed media reports astir Alexander's determination connected Thursday, though he didn't mention Alexander by name, alternatively referring to nan "surprising news from yesterday." Riley besides refused to return questions straight astir Alexander.

Alexander is successful his 3rd play of college football. He primitively signed pinch Georgia arsenic a five-star aft 1 of nan astir coveted protect statement recruits successful nan nation, but transferred to USC (2-1) aft his freshman season.

Alexander had 47 tackles and 1.5 sacks past play while earning honorable mention all-conference honors for nan Trojans, but his domiciled has shrunk this twelvemonth connected nan much-improved defense tally by caller coordinator D'Anton Lynn. Alexander played 21 snaps successful nan Trojans' constrictive loss astatine Michigan past weekend, and he has yet to commencement a crippled this season.

Alexander's typical told ESPN that nan lineman intends to enactment pinch USC and believe pinch nan squad this season. He had been moving pinch nan second-team protect linemen recently.

Riley expressed nary interest astir filling Alexander's snaps connected defense arsenic nan Trojans hole for their Big Ten location opener connected Saturday against Wisconsin. Vanderbilt transportation Nate Clifton and Wyoming transportation Gavin Meyer person started each 3 games for USC successful nan mediate of nan protect line.

"Will that void create immoderate opportunities for much snaps for different people, and nan expertise for america to move astir immoderate chess pieces? Sure it will," Riley said. "In nan aforesaid measurement if personification were injured aliases immoderate different subordinate wasn't available. That's really we're viewing it, and there's a batch of excitement astir nan opportunities it will create for immoderate of these guys, and I deliberation we'll person respective guys jump up and prehend it. A batch of group want to play for this defense and this protect statement correct now. We've sewage a good, quiet group successful there, and excited to spot those guys spell to activity and impact games."

After believe connected Tuesday, Riley said location was "no communicative there" erstwhile asked astir Alexander's evident domiciled arsenic a backup. He besides indicated Alexander's deficiency of playing clip was owed to title pinch different players.

"The guy's retired present moving hard," Riley said. "He's improving. He's successful a caller strategy pinch a caller coach. He's getting better. I deliberation he's going to proceed to get better. It should beryllium difficult to play D-line astatine USC. It wasn't difficult past year, and that's why we weren't very bully up there. We're beautiful decent up location [now], and it's hard, and nan margins are thin."

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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