Former Trojans Grow & Thrive at Oregon

The #7 Oregon Ducks take on the #15 USC Trojans on Saturday. This is a huge game for both schools, as it is essentially a playoff game to decide who will be going to the college football playoffs.

A bonus to this game is that USC will be facing several former Trojans, two of whom were on the team last year and opted to leave SC for the Ducks.

Bear Alexander and Emmanuel Pregnon, who have been key components of the Ducks’ season, are both playing well above expectations this year. What have the Ducks done to empower these two linemen to thrive?

Trojans Better off Without Him?

Back in September of 2024, Matthew Conner of the Reign of Troy website wrote that the “departure of Bear Alexander could be a net positive for USC football team.” He recounted that Alexander had a history of transferring, with four different high schools and two different universities before landing with the Ducks.

Words like “malcontent” and “vagabond” were used to describe the enigmatic defensive lineman. Yet, Bear has been nothing but a model teammate and a key contributor for the Ducks on and off the field.   

PFF tells the story perfectly. Alexander’s overall defensive grade on the site paints the picture of how his production dipped with the Trojans.

• 2025 – 73.1
• 2024 – 57.2
• 2023 – 64.2
• 2022 – 72.4

Clearly there was something missing at USC that Alexander found at Oregon.

What Changed at Oregon for Alexander?

Back on October 14^th, Alexander spoke with the media. He was asked about how things have clicked this season. “At the beginning, it was just a lot of stuff I was still growing from. We just prepared every day… having elite preparation to get to this point and continue to execute.”

Bear is playing arguably his best season of college football right now for the Ducks. He has 30 tackles but only 2 missed tackles. That’s a missed tackle percentage of 5.6% so far this season. That’s a career best for him. In his final season with USC he had a MIS% of 25.

He has also registered 9 pressures, 5 hurries, 3 hits and 1 sack this season. Those numbers might not seem like a lot, but he has logged roughly half the snaps this season (354) that he had his first season with USC (660).

His stats in 2023 were much higher. Alexander had 32 pressures, 23 hurries, 6 hits, and 3 sacks that season, but the MIS% would indicate that the talented DL is locked in.  He’s playing as a unit.

What have the coaches been telling him? Alexander added this, “Just take it one day at a time. There’s no rush to success… continue to be a good person and treat your teammates right, and it’ll all pan out.”

Pregnon Climbing up the Draft Boards

Emmanuel Pregnon didn’t have the same negative buzz when he left USC. He had been a solid player for the Trojans, and his departure left a hole in their offensive line. Similar to Alexander, however, Pregnon has been playing clearly his best football for the Ducks.
Here are the PFF grades for his past four season:

• 2025 – 84.7
• 2024 – 66.6
• 2023 – 65.2
• 2022 – 73.9

Pregnon is currently the sixth best guard in the country according to PFF. He is putting up career stats this season with zero sacks allowed, 0 hits, 2 hurries, and 2 pressures. He has a pass block grade of 90.4 for the year.

Two of the four CBS mock drafts have him in the first round. Mike Renner projects the senior lineman at 18^th to the Detroit Lions. Ryan Wilson has him at #22 to the LA Chargers. Mel Kiper has him as the second best interior offensive lineman in the draft.

Why Transfer to Oregon?

Emmanuel Pregnon spoke to the media back in April after he transferred to Oregon. “The aspect of football, it felt like a lot of things that Oregon provided to my growth as a player. It was one of the main targets for me out of the portal. They had what I needed to grow as a player. In terms of just scheme, everything we run as an offense, I’ve been playing for quite a while now, the game of football is ever-expanding.”

The results are hard to deny. Pregnon was a very solid lineman when he was at USC last season. He did not allow any sacks, but he gave up 18 pressures, 13 hurries, and 5 hits on the QB. His play this season has clearly set himself apart as one of the best interior linemen in the country.

Both of these players have been a huge key to the Ducks’ success this season, and they will play a significant role in the game against USC this weekend.