New Duck defensive tackle Bear Alexander searches for home and opportunity

The size has always been tantalizing. You can't teach it. At 6-3, 315 Keithian Deshun "Bear" Alexander, from Terrell, Texas, played for four different high schools on his way to becoming a four-star prospect in 2022, winding up at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and signing with Georgia, the No. 111 recruit in the country and a Top 15 defensive linemen.

Georgia superfan Lee Ring said on X, "Bear Alexander could be the next great one. Full of violence at the point of attack, AND THATS THE WAY DAWGNATION LIKES."

Ring's given to bold proclamations. Before the 2024 playoffs he announced, "Georgia is about to eat in these playoffs better than a Baptist preacher at a Golden Corral on a Sunday afternoon." It didn't work out that way.

We love our teams and learn to love our players, but sometimes the optimism doesn't pan out. In the Bear's case, the optimism has always been there. After a year at Georgia he entered the portal and moved on to USC, where as a sophomore he led the defensive line with 48 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He had two quarterback stuffs in a part-time role with the Bulldogs as a true freshman.

Then in his third year he found himself in a limited role with the Trojans, a spot and situational player on an underachieving defensive line. He wasn't being developed. His father Tony Jones told Pete Thamel of ESPN, "If Bear not being a starter and playing 35 or 40 snaps a game isn’t in the best interest of the team, we need to do something different." After three games he elected to redshirt and enter the portal again, choosing Oregon in December.

Saturday after the Ducks' second practice, defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi called him, "one of the hardest workers in the entire defense, from a from an extra work and mental standpoint." He called him a lead by action guy, one of the players who's stood out as a potential leader.

Lupoi noted this Oregon team is different from the one he had last year. The 2024 squad had tons of experience, while in 2025 the team is loaded with NFL talent but limited experience. There's length, speed and measurables, but a relative lack of meaningful snaps. At defensive tackle, linebacker and defensive back, the Ducks have size, speed, length and quick-twitch bodies but athletes that haven't played a lot. That's where leadership becomes critical.

In safety Dillon Thieneman, linebacker Bryce Boettcher and Alexander, Lupoi believes, the Ducks have veterans who'll set the pace at every level of the defense.

That evaluation process certainly worked out with Derrick Harmon, the guy who preceded Alexander in the middle of the Oregon front. He was a beast last year with 53 pressures, 45 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. His best season at MIchigan State prior to coming to Eugene? In 2023, Harmon had 40 tackles for the Spartans, 1.5 sacks-- very similar numbers to Alexander's sophomore campaign at USC.

Last September Jones said, "We made clear what our goals are. That goal is to be a full-time starter and leader on the defense like we came to be." If Oregon's defense is going to improve on last year's results and numbers, 36th in the FBS in yards per play allowed at 5.14, Alexander has to become a leader by results., like Harmon did a year ago.