admscout
- Position DL
- Class Junior
- Ht.6’5/Wt./243
- Hometown Charlotte, N.C.
- Highschool Chambers
CAREER HONORS
SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (vs. Florida, 10/12/24; vs. Texas A&M, 10/14/23; vs. South Carolina, 10/2/23)
Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week (vs. Florida, 10/12/24)
2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
2024 Bednarik Award Watch List
2024 Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List
2024 Nagurski Trophy Watch List
2024 Lombardi Award Watch List
2024 Lott Trophy Watch List
2024 Preseason All-American First Team (Associated Press, The Athletic, Athlon, ESPN, Phil Steele, Walter Camp)
2024 Preseason All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Media, Phil Steele)
2024 ESPN.com College Football Top 100 Player (No. 1)
2023 All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches)
CAREER
The top returning edge rusher in the SEC and one of the best defenders in the nation who is in his third season with the program … Long, athletic with freakish explosiveness and instincts … Considered the No. 1 player in the country entering the 2024 season by On3 … Projected as a future top 10 NFL Draft pick … Coming off a sophomore season in which he got stronger as the season went on and dominated in the 2024 Citrus Bowl … Has two seasons of remaining eligibility, including 2024 … Owns 52 tackles (30 solo), 20.5 tackles for a loss of 113 yards, 14 sacks for a loss of 96 yards, 22 QB hurries, one interception for a touchdown, two pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery … According to PFF, has generated 80 QB pressures in three seasons … Is the SEC’s returning statistical leader in both tackles for loss and sacks … Played in 32 career games with eight starts.
2024 – JUNIOR
UT’s starting LEO in five of six games this season who leads the team with 22 total pressures according to PFF College … Logged seven tackles with one TFL and a half-sack in addition to a pivotal forced fumble and recovery at the goal line in overtime win vs. Florida (10/12) … Impacted the game with a career-high nine tackles, two TFLs, one sack and one pass breakup at Arkansas (10/5) … Posted two total tackles, including a half-sack for a loss of eight yards in the win at #15 Oklahoma (9/21) … Led the Vols with three QB hurries in a dominant 71-0 victory over Kent State (9/14) … Earned the start at SAM linebacker and posted a half-tackle for loss in win vs. #24 NC State (9/7) along with two quarterback hurries … Started at LEO in the season opener vs. Chattanooga (8/31) and played 10 defensive snaps.
2023 – SOPHOMORE
Proved to be the top edge rusher in the SEC in just his second season at the college level … Earned first-team All-SEC recognition from both the Associated Press and Coaches … Played in all 13 games with three starts … Starts came vs. Iowa in the Citrus Bowl (1/1), at Mizzou (11/11) and vs. Vanderbilt (11/25) … Registered 28 tackles (18 solo), 14.5 tackles for a loss of 71 yards, 10 sacks for a loss of 59 yards, 16 QB hurries, one interception for a touchdown, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles … Tied for the SEC lead in sacks and ranked second in the league in tackles for loss … According to PFF, was the SEC’s highest graded defensive end at 90.9, which also ranked fourth in the FBS … Owned a 21.3 percent pressure rate and 92.4 pass-rush grade, which both ranked third in the nation … Posted more than one TFL in seven games, including a combined 4.5 in the final four games of the year … Dominated the Citrus Bowl win over No. 17 Iowa (1/1) in just his third career start … Tallied four tackles, 1.5 sacks for a loss of eight yards, one QB hurry and returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the finishing touches on the victory over the Hawkeyes … Logged three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, half a sack and two QB hurries in a start in the regular season finale vs. Vanderbilt (11/25) … Logged three tackles vs. No. 1 Georgia (11/18) … Made his first career start (LEO) at No. 14 Missouri (11/11) and finished the game with one sack and 1.5 TFLs … Posted one tackle, a pass breakup and a pair of QB hurries in road win at Kentucky (10/28) … Notched his first career forced fumble with a strip sack at No. 11/8 Alabama (10/21) and finished the game with two tackles … Extremely disruptive in Tennessee’s win over Texas A&M (10/14), finishing with three tackles, two TFLs, one sack and a career-best five QB hurries … Earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after a dominant performance vs. South Carolina (9/30), registering three tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks and two QB hurries … Posted one quarterback hurry in victory over UTSA (9/23) … Played 37 defensive snaps at Florida (9/16) and led the Vols with 2.0 tackles for loss … Logged a 7-yard sack and a quarterback hurry in home opener vs. Austin Peay (9/9) … Made his presence felt in the season opener vs. Virginia (9/2) with a pair of sacks in the first half, both coming on third down and forcing UVA punts … Also added a pair of QB hurries and finished with three total tackles in win over the Cavaliers.
2022 – FRESHMAN
Played in all 13 games during his true freshman season, accumulating five tackles, two tackles for loss and a pair of sacks … Posted a sack in the 2022 home finale against Missouri (11/12) … Logged a tackle and a QB hurry on Homecoming against UT Martin (10/22) … Recorded his first career-multi-tackle game against Akron (9/17) and had a sack early in the fourth quarter … Picked up his first career tackle at No. 17 Pitt (9/10) … Made his collegiate debut against Ball State (9/1) in the 2022 season opener.
HIGH SCHOOL
A five-star defensive line prospect out of Charlotte, North Carolina … Enrolled at Tennessee in June 2022 … Rated a five-star prospect, the No. 11 player in the 2022 class and the top player from North Carolina by On3.com … Also rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports.com and Rivals.com … The top player in the state of North Carolina and sixth-best edge rusher according to On3.com … Selected to the 2021 Carolina Bowl All-Star Game … Second-team All-State selection by HighSchoolOT.com as a junior in 2020 … Helped lead Chambers High School to four consecutive North Carolina Class 4A State Championship games, including back-to-back state titles in 2019 and 2020 … Turned heads as a senior with 14.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two safeties and two interceptions … Chose Tennessee over 18 other offers, 13 from Power 5 schools … Coached by Glenwood Ferebee, a former player at Liberty and offensive coordinator at Howard.
PERSONAL
Full name is James Cecil Pearce Jr. … Born on Oct. 12, 2003 … Majoring in sociology … Twitter handle is @JamesPearceJr10 … Instagram handle is @tenn.jamess
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings