No Tennessee player had more hype surrounding them this offseason then edge rusher James Pearce Jr. Some outlets projected him to be the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and ESPN ranked him as the top player in college football entering the season.
It was a quiet start to the year for Pearce, who failed to record his first sack until the fourth game of the season. Part of that was due to his lack of playing time in lopsided wins over Chattanooga and Kent State. Tennessee’s coaches also insisted that he was playing well and making a major impact despite the lack of stats.
But with the season over halfway over, Pearce’s body of work is starting to show he’s one of the best pass rushers in the country.
Pearce’s 22.2% pressure rate against FBS opponents is the best in the SEC by a wide margin. Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas is second in the SEC with a 16.5% pressure rate and sixth place (South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart) has a 14.8% pressure rate.
As the games have started to get bigger, Pearce has started playing better-and-better. In four SEC games, Pearce has four sacks*, 21 tackles, 25 total quarterback pressures and a pass breakup. He’s also making game changing plays like when he stripped Florida quarterback Graham Mertz at the goal line on a quarterback sneak.
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“Man, violent, destructive, making plays is huge,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said of Pearce following the Florida game. “Huge play on the goal line. Locked in, focused as a competitor throughout the course of it no matter what was going on. Just really, really strong performance.”
Despite the slow start to the season, Pearce now ranks first amongst EDGE rushers nationally with 31 total pressures this season. The sack numbers are still down compared to last season and he’s going to need a fantastic back half of the season to get to double-digit sacks, but there’s no doubt that Pearce is playing at a high level and helping bolster an elite Tennessee defensive front.
And if there’s any games that you’d want Pearce’s play not to be at its highest level, it’s against Chattanooga and Kent State. Pearce is playing his best against Alabama and Florida, and those are the games you’d want him to.
The junior edge rusher looks to keep things rolling when Tennessee returns from its open date and faces Kentucky at Neyland Stadium on Nov. 2.
*Pearce either has 3.5 or 4 sacks depending on who you ask. PFF has him at 4 sacks while ESPN has him at 3. The play in question is his fourth quarter sack against Alabama. PFF gives him full credit for the sack while ESPN gives him a half sack along with Jeremiah Telander. I believe Pearce deserves credit for the whole sack so I’m siding with PFF in this story.
One Response
Watching Pearce in earlier games, I’ve seen him drop back in pass coverage a fair amount. That, of course, will impact pass rushing stats.