USC's Bear Alexander Says He'll 'Always Be a Trojan' After Redshirt Decision

Trojan fans might be irked with him, but defensive lineman Bear Alexander says he's got nothing but love for USC after electing to redshirt this season ... telling TMZ Sports he'll still be pulling for his teammates on gamedays.

After making headlines this week over his decision to sit out the remainder of the 2024 schedule to save a year of eligibility, we caught up with Alexander to ask him all about the move.

While the news comes after the Trojans' loss to the University of Michigan ... Alexander said it was the "overall picture" of how things played out in the first three games at Southern Cal.

"Missing the spring, but coming back, taking reps over the course of practice and evaluating it as a whole," he said. "We felt like once we got to Michigan, it was pretty much figured out from there."

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley later told reporters he was shocked by the development, but insisted there was no story to it -- and Alexander didn't have much more to add himself.

"We talked about it," he said. "[Lincoln Riley] and my dad just worked through it. In terms of what he said, we just wanted to make it clear. We the guy, we've been wanted to be the guy."

Looking ahead, the 21-year-old -- who initially transferred to USC from Georgia -- isn't ruling out a return to the SEC ... but he's keeping all his options open.

When asked about the critics calling him out for his decision ... Alexander's not paying too much mind to them -- with his main focus being on himself.

"Talk to my dad," he said. "He's been a huge support throughout this process, I know a lot of guys are screaming at him and I know he's screaming back for his son. He's been very supportive."

"I don't too much look into the critics, I just look into the player and how I can invest in Bear Alexander and make sure he's getting better each day rep in and rep out," Alexander added. "With that being said, we ain't too much paying attention to those guys."