5 things to know about Oregon’s new cornerback Kam Alexander
All football teams have depth. But it’s the quality of depth that separates the good teams from the great ones.
When Dan Lanning was hired, one of his main objectives at Oregon was to improve the quality of depth on the roster and after two seasons, he has succeeded.
His success continues with the Ducks landing former UT-San Antonio corner Kameryn Alexander. He’ll be a graduate senior for Oregon in 2024 and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Oregon’s defense just improved. Alexander is a cover corner and he’ll help a young defensive back room with his knowledge and experience. Alexander also brings a bit of talent as well and will fight for a starting spot at one of the corner positions.
Here are five things to know about Oregon’s new corner:
Third team is the charm
Alexander will be a sixth-year senior after spending four years at Sam Houston State of the WAC and then UTSA for a year before transferring to Oregon. SHSU followed Alexander to Conference USA in 2023.
In 2022, Alexander redshirted, which gives him this extra year of eligibility.
He was a really good BearKat
Alexander was one of Sam Houston State’s top defenders. He appeared in 32 career games for the Bearkats. He posted 52 total tackles, 41 solo stops, six tackles for loss, three interceptions and 16 pass breakups.
That level of production continued at UTSA, where he was one of the top cornerbacks in the nation. Pro Football Focus graded him the No. 42 CB among all Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Bowl MVP
He was named the Defensive MVP of the Frisco Bowl as UTSA defeated Marshall, 35-17. In that game, Alexander had 34 coverage snaps, zero catches allowed, one interception and two pass breakups. The Roadrunners finished 9-4 in 2023.
Possible kick returner
If the Ducks are in search of a possible kick returner for 2024, Alexander might be a good choice. Although he didn’t do it in the last two seasons, Alexander averaged more than 20 yards per return in 2021-22 for Sam Houston State.
Scouts say what?
Sometimes the recruiting services miss on a players or they just slip through the cracks. Alexander seems to be one of those. When he was coming out of Manvel, Texas, Alexander wasn’t rated. At Manvel, he was a unanimous all-district selection, posted a pair of interceptions and averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return during his prep career. Alexander also qualified for the regional track and field meet in the long jump.
He compares to Khyree Jackson
Chris Gardner/Getty Images
Alexander doesn’t have the lengthy frame Khyree Jackson did. Jackson was 6-foot-3, and Alexander is 5-foot-11. However, he definitely has the talent to replace Oregon’s star CB on the edge.
According to PFF, Alexander had a coverage grade of 82.6 in 2023, which ranked 31st among all FBS cornerbacks with a minimum of 300 coverage snaps. In comparison, Jackson had a coverage grade of 77.3 last season.
He's a shutdown corner
Courtesy of Ethan Landa
In order to be an elite cornerback, you have to be confident. When playing on an island, knowing you are the best player on the field is almost a prerequisite to success. It appears Alexander has a little bit of that in him. Here is how he responded when SI’s Max Torres asked him what skills he brings to Oregon:
“Just a complete shutdown corner. One side of the field is always closed down when I’m on the field, and I expect to bring that to Oregon.”
Hard to argue against that as an Oregon fan.
