College football careers used to be a straight shot: four, maybe five years, then you were out. Forget all that, because players are straight up entering their seventh or eighth seasons in college these days. The craziest part? Your Oregon Ducks have one of those guys still flying around on the 2026 roster, plus a couple of former commits on The Athletic’s “All-Geezer team” who just will not quit.
The Long Haul Era Is Almost Over
The game has changed thanks to waivers and that free year of eligibility in 2020, letting guys hang around longer than ever. It’s why names like Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel felt like they were in college forever, right? But heads up, the new five-for-five eligibility rule means this nearly decade-long college career thing is about to wrap up. It really doesn’t matter how long a guy’s been around if he’s got eligibility and can help his team win. And for the Ducks, they’ve got a guy doing just that right now.
Bear Alexander’s Wild, Wild Ride
Talk about a journey! Defensive tackle Bear Alexander is entering his fifth collegiate season, and man, has he seen some stuff. Oregon is straight up lucky he decided to come back to Eugene instead of going pro. Last season, he was an absolute beast on the interior of that D-line, finally living up to all that four-star potential from his 2022 class. The dude racked up 50 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, and a sack while just shutting down opposing rushing attacks. For 2026, he’s back on that veteran front, ready to make another huge impact. It feels like we’ve known Alexander’s name forever, and that’s because he’s been on a tour of college football, swapping jerseys and schools. He hit four high schools, then landed at Georgia in 2022, even winning a national championship as a freshman. But he wasn’t seeing the field much, so he bounced to USC, started in 2023, and earned an All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Then, after playing just three games in 2024, he redshirted and transferred again, landing right back with Dan Lanning in Eugene. Seems like it’s been the perfect fit.
More Ducks Flying, And What’s Next
And get this, Ty Thompson, another former Mario Cristobal commit, is on that “All-Geezer” list too, heading into his sixth year! This former five-star QB joined the Ducks in 2021, backing up Anthony Brown, but never really got significant snaps, even with the Ducks hitting the Pac-12 Championship and the Alamo Bowl that season. Cristobal and Brown are long gone, but Thompson’s still around. For Oregon, having a player like Bear Alexander, with all that experience and his proven impact from last season, means they’re not just hoping for a big year. They’re expecting Alexander to anchor that D-line once again, pushing for serious wins. This kind of veteran leadership, even with the “long career” era fading out, is what you need to look forward to when the season kicks off!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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