It would have made sense for Case Alexander to be a college tight end.
His father, Stephen, played tight end at Oklahoma and then went on to a 10-year NFL career that featured a Pro Bowl appearance with the Washington Redskins in 2000.
His older brother, Cooper, is a tight end, too, starting his college career at Iowa State before joining coach Matt Campbell at Penn State.
Penn State is where Case Alexander decided to commit, and as a tight end, he posted numbers that look Division I worthy.
Last season, he went for nearly 700 yards and 12 touchdowns on 36 receptions.
“Heck,” Alexander’s high school coach, Brad Beller, told Nittany Sports Now, “he was our leading receiver last year, and is poised to probably be our leading receiver again this next year.”
But it’s on defense where Alexander is at his best, and it’s at linebacker where Alexander plans on playing in college.
For Stephen Alexander, Case’s mentality on the football field makes him more at home defensively.
“I call the defense ‘dark side,'” Stephen Alexander told NSN.
When Alexander isn’t on the football field, he’s described by his father as a “sweetheart kid.”
Alexander spends his free time heavily involved in his church group and spends a lot of time fishing on a lake.
But on the field?
“He’s a complete maniac and will rip your face off,” Stephen Alexander said.
“He is a violent, violent football player,” Beller said, “that is able to do that and play as physical as he is. But under control, you know, mentally.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Over three seasons, he’s compiled 276 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, six interceptions and a pick-six.
This gave Alexander plenty of options of where to play college ball.
He had an offer from Texas Tech, which just produced Butkus Award winner Jacob Rodriguez.
He could have stayed home and played at Oklahoma, where his father was an all-conference performer.
But ultimately, Alexander chose “Linebacker U.”
New Penn State coach Matt Campbell has known the Alexander family for years, having recruited Cooper to Iowa State before Cooper joined him in Happy Valley.
It’s this type of relationship that led Case to PSU.
“I just think in the end, Chase just felt like everything was aligned,” Stephen Alexander said. “Everybody in that building was aligned. With him and the plan for him, and I just feel like, you know, I feel like he feels like he fits their scheme. And he liked their message as far as the plan for him, the education at Penn State. I just feel like everything aligned for him.”
So what does Case like about Campbell?
“The culture that he creates,” Beller said. “I know he, you know, the Penn State faithful have not had a chance to see. You know, Coach Campbell works with what he does and how he generates a team, A culture of, you know, all these high-level athletes coming together as one unit. Coach Campbell creates that, and Case has believed in it since day one. And, you know, even when Coach Campbell and his staff were recruiting him at Iowa State, and Case was younger. He just believed in Coach Campbell and what he stood for, not just as a football coach, but as a man and the principles that he stands on. And Coach Campbell’s as real as you can get. And I think that Case doesn’t like fluff; he likes real. And Coach Campbell and Coach Bite, Coach Huge, all those guys are real, and that’s what makes Penn State so special, you know, to land someone like Case.”
Penn State has had a lot of great linebackers over the years, from Jack Ham to Abdul Carter.
For Stephen Alexander, defense is in Case’s blood.
“He’s just been wired to play defense,” he said, “just the way he plays, the way he approaches the game. It’s almost kind of like it’s meant to be, you know.”
