Oregon player warms up in boxing glove ahead of CFP matchup vs. James Madison
By David Wasson
Published:
Oregon defensive lineman Bear Alexander was spotted wearing a boxing glove on his left hand while warming up for the No. 5 seed Ducks’ first-round College Football Playoff matchup Saturday night against No. 12 seed James Madison – apparently to either protect an unspecified injury or perhaps to prepare to become a future Jake Paul opponent.
Either way, the presence of the brown leather glove that was secured to Alexander with athletic tape during pregame warmups at Autzen Stadium drew the attention of the TNT cameras. Alexander was not listed on any of Oregon’s participation reports leading up to Saturday’s game.
Alexander, a 6-foot-3, 302-pound junior, started his career at Georgia at 2022 before transferring to USC for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Alexander’s 2024 campaign was muted due to a nagging hamstring injury, and he transferred to Oregon for the 2025 season.
Alexander entered Saturday’s first-round CFP matchup with 17 solo tackles, 1 pass defended and a half a sack. In his 4-year career, Alexander has 53 solo stops, 106 total tackles, 5 passes defended and 4 sacks.
His best game so far in 2025 came Oct. 11 against then-No. 7 Indiana, in which Alexander recorded 4 solo tackles and 6 total stops. It still wasn’t enough to thwart the Hoosiers, who earned a 30-20 road victory.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
