D.J. Alexander Class: Junior Hometown: Palm Desert, Calif. High School: Palm Desert Height / Weight: 6-2 / 228 Position: LB Birthdate: 09/30/1991 Experience: 1V

2012: D.J. looks to have a bright future for the Oregon State defense ... extremely athletic and aggressive ... big hitter ... in limited action has shown a knack for making big plays ... will compete for the vacant starting position as the "Sam" linebacker. 2011: D.J. sprained his right elbow in the first fall scrimmage and was unable to return to the field in time for the start of the season ... one of 10 true freshmen to play in 2011, an Oregon State record ... made college debut against UCLA and made a tackle on kickoff coverage on his first play ... made a dramatic impact as a special teams demon ... tied for the team lead with eight special teams tackles ... played a bit at outside linebacker in a back-up role ... set a season-high with five tackles against BYU, including a quarterback sack ... recorded four tackles in the Civil War ... enrolled at Oregon State in winter term and thus was considered a greyshirt.

PALM DESERT: D.J. played both linebacker and receiver at Palm Desert ... co-Desert Valley League MVP as a senior after making 118 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks ... All-CIF Eastern Division twice ... team captain ... standout in track where he broke the school record in the 100 and 200 meters ... Rivals tabbed him the 22nd best outside linebacker in the country following his senior season.

PERSONAL: Born Donell Welch on September 30, 1991 in Long Beach, California ... son of Eugene and Cindy Alexander ... has two siblings ... majoring in human development and family sciences.