New year, new home for incoming USC transfers
Taking a look at some of USC’s most experienced new members this year.
By HENRY MODE
While USC students returned home this past summer, Trojan coaches remained hard at work filling out their rosters. Freshman recruits tend to attract the majority of the attention, but finding gems in the transfer portal can be just as key. Here are some of the top names USC brought to campus this summer:
Bear Alexander (sophomore), football
USC landed Bear Alexander, a highly touted defensive lineman from the University of Georgia, despite offers from several top programs, including Texas, Penn State, Colorado and Miami. Alexander is a hulking presence who stands 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 300 pounds. He was the 50th-ranked prospect in the 2022 class before spending his freshman season in Athens.
He saw limited playing time in his sole campaign with the Bulldogs, fighting for snaps on a talented defensive line that included 2022 First Team All-American Jalen Carter.
Alexander showed flashes when he was able to get on the field, racking up nine tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in twelve regular season games. He had his best game of the season in the College Football Playoff National Championship, contributing two tackles for loss and one sack to Georgia’s dominant 65-7 win over TCU.
Keely Roy (graduate), women’s soccer
Keely Roy, a graduate transfer, played her freshman campaign at the University of San Francisco before spending the last three years at UC Berkeley. She led the Golden Bears and finished third in the Pac-12 with 11 goals in her senior year, earning her both All-Pac-12 and All-West Region honors.
The Sebastopol local attended Cardinal Newman High School, where she was a two-time captain and led her team to the 2017-18 Division III Northern Regional State Championships.
Roy played 45 minutes off the bench in the Trojans’ opening 1-0 win over Michigan. She can play in midfield and in defense, bringing both experience and versatility to the Trojans.
Transfer Dorian Singer finds himself a new home at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The All-Conference wide out is poised for a huge year. (Aneel Yelamanchili / Daily Trojan file photo)
Ellie Geoghegan (sophomore), women’s volleyball
Ellie Geoghegan, a libero, played her freshman year at San Diego State before making the move to USC ahead of the 2023 season. She played in all 117 sets for the Aztecs as a freshman, totaling 385 digs, 97 assists and 31 service aces. Her 3.29 digs per set were the seventh-best rate in the Mountain West. She was a two-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week and was named the Mountain West Defender of the Week Oct. 24.
Geoghegan attended Mira Costa High School where she led the Mustangs to a league championship and was named the Bay League Division I Player of the Year. She will compete for playing time in 2023 with fellow liberos sophomore Megan Verbiest, sophomore Gala Trubint, and graduate Ellie Snook.
Dorian Singer (junior), football
Dorian Singer, a wide receiver, transferred to USC from Arizona in spring 2023. He was the third player to make the move from Tucson to Los Angeles ahead of this season, joining senior defensive lineman Kyon Barrs and senior cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace.
Singer had limited playing time in his freshman season, totaling 18 receptions and 301 yards in five games for the Wildcats. He exploded onto the scene in 2022 during his sophomore season, amassing 1105 yards and 6 touchdowns, including 141 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Trojans.
He was named to the 2022 AP All-Pac-12 First Team, and he joins a crowded USC wide receiver room that retained three of its four receiving leaders from 2022 and added freshman Zacariah Branch, the top-ranked receiver in the 2023 recruiting class.
Kayla Duran (graduate), women’s soccer
Kayla Duran transferred to USC from Brown, where she spent the last two seasons. Duran, who plays both as a central midfielder and a central defender, was the 2021 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. She was also named to the 2022 All-America third team and to the All-Ivy League team twice during her time with the Bears.
Duran went to high school at Buckingham Browne & Nichols, scoring 63 goals and contributing 44 assists while playing all over the pitch. She became a full-time defender as a freshman at Boston College, earning 2018 ACC All-Freshman Team honors. She will join the Trojans’ push to improve on a 2-0 first-round defeat at the hands of UC Irvine in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
