BYU cornerback and Georgia native Therrian “Tre” Alexander III has loved everything about his experience living in Utah thus far.
Well, with one exception.
“The only bad thing, honestly, is the food,” Alexander laughingly told the Deseret News. “The food back in the South is different, man. Soul food and all that, it’s a big miss being out here.
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“But other than that, I have no complaints. I’m having the time of my life out here.”
All food objections aside — though he did say he enjoys eating at Chubby’s Cafe in Orem — Alexander’s transition from the south Atlanta suburbs to Provo has been about as smooth as possible, even if BYU may have seemed like an obscure landing spot for a Southerner who held scholarship offers from multiple SEC programs.
“When I first came out here, it was like a leap of faith,” Alexander said. “I took my visit out here, and then I moved out here probably 10 days later. So it’s been a big transition for me because I’m 2,000 miles away from home, but it hasn’t been too big for me. It’s something I knew I would get through. I got God on my side, I have the best coaches and the best teammates, so it’s been easy to me.”
But make no mistake — Alexander didn’t end up at BYU by accident. He chose to commit to the Cougars over schools such as Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia Tech, and after a year in Kalani Sitake’s operation, he feels that he definitely made the right call.
“(BYU)’s been everything I wanted it to be,” Alexander said. “I was able to come into a program (that) really cherishes family, God and football, and those three things right there are the center of my life … the experience definitely has been amazing, especially playing in coach (Jay) Hill’s defense. Coach Hill is a mastermind, and so playing with him is just like a big chess game, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
Now a sophomore, the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Alexander will be given a more substantial role within BYU’s secondary going forward, as the Cougars are now without 2024’s top corners Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins.
Upperclassmen Evan Johnson and Mory Bamba are most likely to stand atop the depth chart in 2025, with Alexander, Jonathan Kabeya, Jayden Dunlap and Marcus McKenzie competing for spots as well.
“I feel like I’m in a good position coming out of spring ball,” Alexander said. “I got a lot of reps with the ones, which was something that I was looking forward to. After losing Marque and Jakob, obviously I have to step in and make more plays now. It’s definitely a role I’m comfortable stepping into.
“It was always my goal within my first two years of college football to be playing with the starters or at least in the two-deep, and I accomplished the two-deep last year, and now I’m going into this year getting a chance to go for a starting spot or something, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
“(BYU)’s been everything I wanted it to be. I was able to come into a program (that) really cherishes family, God and football, and those three things right there are the center of my life.”
— Tre Alexander III on decision to commit to BYU
As a true freshman this past season, Alexander got on the field for 120 defensive and special teams snaps across 11 games. To Alexander, such initial experience has become incredibly valuable now as he battles to become a starting-caliber contributor.
“Last year when I first got here, I got in the game, but I didn’t know quite what to expect,” Alexander said. “Coming from high school to college is like everybody on the field except you is almost a giant, but when you’re able to get in live game reps, get on the field with certain guys and really understand that football is just football, it’s easier for you development-wise.
“Going to this season, when I get on the field, I’m going to trust my technique more. I’m going to trust my assignment. Everything’s going to be so much easier. I’m going to be way more relaxed. Last year had a lot of nerves out there because it was the first year, but now getting all those (game) reps, like it’s like second nature to me.”
Playing time isn’t the only benefit from last year that Alexander is bringing into 2025. Time spent as a teammate to Robinson and Collins — who he has affectionately nicknamed “granddad and great-granddad” — was another key aspect to his freshman experience. Though the pair of former Cougars are each chasing professional careers, they’re still involved with assisting their “grandson” in his on-field growth.
“They had a lot of wisdom and they played a lot of ball, so they were able to give us a lot of input, especially like somebody like me as a young’un coming into the program,” Alexander said. “I was fortunate enough to sit behind them, and those two, along with coach (Jernaro Gilford), were definitely factors on my development.
“Sometimes Jakob will be at practice here, and he gives me some releases and certain stuff to work on, and Marque still texts me all the time and gives me little updates on stuff I could do better.”
Hill’s defense proved prolific in generating takeaways in 2024, leading all FBS schools with 22 interceptions, partially thanks to a strong secondary. Hill keeps his corners especially busy, moving them across the field in different unique schemes and coverages, resulting in 17 total picks snagged by players at the position over the past two seasons.
While Alexander has referred to Hill as “a mastermind,” Hill once touted a recently-signed Alexander as having “the chance to be one of the best I’ve coached.” Scratching some of that potential in 2025 could be crucial for the unit’s continued success, with Alexander feeling all the more confident due to Hill’s scheme.
“Playing in coach Hill’s defense really gives us a bunch of freedom and opportunities to make plays. We don’t play like a bunch of robots, we play like the football players that we are,” Alexander said. “We’re able to do so much, so I would say that aspect of it is really the beautiful part of it, just being able to do so many things.”
Aside from Robinson and Collins, Alexander said he admires and studies the play of NFL corners such as Jaycee Horn of the Carolina Panthers, Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins and projected first-round selection Will Johnson out of Michigan.
But there aren’t a lot of other professional cornerbacks out of BYU for Alexander to look up to.
Historically, the Cougars’ amount of NFL talent at the position has been minuscule — the most successful corner to come from BYU has been Michael Davis, who’s logged 122 games with eight interceptions since entering the league in 2017. Only one Cougar defensive back has ever made an NFL Pro Bowl, and that was Dick Felt back in 1962.
“I got God on my side, I have the best coaches and the best teammates, so it’s been easy to me.”
— BYU cornerback Tre’ Alexander III
None of it fazes Alexander. While other schools interested in him could boast more NFL alumni, he was intentional about coming to BYU and didn’t mind the lack of cornerback prestige in Provo. Truthfully, he views it as a personal challenge — it’s an opportunity to blaze the trail ahead into the NFL for future Cougar corners to follow.
“I feel like if you can play football, you can play football, no matter where you go to school at,” Alexander said. “BYU probably doesn’t have the most storied tradition (for cornerbacks) because honestly, we didn’t recruit the South too much. Now we’re getting Georgia boys like myself, athletes who had a whole bunch of SEC offers and stuff like that, so I feel like it will be easier to break through and get to the league. Now, especially with BYU being in the Big 12, the pipeline will be started soon.”
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