Penn State is in the top six for Georgia transfer DL Bear Alexander, Alexander tweeted Saturday evening.
— Bear Alexander (@BearAlexander_) April 22, 2023
Coach James Franklin’s program made the cut along with Colorado, Miami, Oregon, Texas, USC.
He’s scheduled an official visit to USC.
This past Thursday, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported that Penn State was one of 17 teams that had already shown interest in Alexander. Alexander entered the transfer portal Saturday, the day the spring portal window opened and the same day as Georgia’s spring game. Alexander has scheduled
Alexander, once a four-star recruit, played at Georgia for one season after a stellar career at Florida’s famous IMG Academy in which he earned U.S. Army All-American status. He was a top 45 player in the 2022 Class.
In his one season at Georgia, Alexander appeared in 12 of the team’s 15 games, picking up nine total stops, 13 quarterback hurries and two sacks, helping Georgia to its second consecutive national championship. He had two tackles for loss and a sack in the national title game against TCU.
The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder’s departure from Georgia has apparently been in the works since shortly after the end of the Bulldogs’ title run, as Alexander and the team eventually agreed to part ways. The reasons for the split were not specified.
Alexander will have three years of eligibility left. He doesn’t have a “COVID year” due to starting his college football career after the 2021 season.
Alexander would make sense for Penn State, which could use another body at defensive tackle. DT and team leader PJ Mustipher used his last year of eligibility on 2022, and the team’s overall lack of size up front has been thought to be an issue, and coach James Franklin himself has addressed it in the past.
“Everybody thinks they’re Aaron Donald,” Franklin said in his postgame press conference after the team’s 41-17 loss at Michigan last October. “And they’re not.”
Donald is 6-foot-1, 280 pounds and is thought by many to be the greatest defensive tackle in football history.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Franklin said, “I really like our d-line room. But there are some guys who would help us and help themselves if they gained a few pounds.
“Size is a weapon, and I would like to be bigger across both fronts.”
Alexander would give Penn State plenty of size.
