Few Tennessee defenders have generated more buzz in recent years than James Pearce Jr. Ranked No. 2 behind only Colorado star Travis Hunter in CBS Sports’ Top 100 players in college football for 2024, Pearce has entered the conversation as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
He earned All-SEC First Team honors last season after recording 10 sacks — tied for most in the conference — and 28 tackles, half of which were for a loss, plus 52 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He capped the year with a pick six in the Volunteers’ Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
Ask Tennessee’s coaching staff, and they’ll tell you Pearce has the potential to be so much more. That’s a terrifying thought for opposing offenses.
“We think the sky’s the limit for him,” defensive coordinator Tim Banks said of Pearce this spring. “Obviously, he was just a sophomore. I think he’s just scratching the surface on how good he can be. He’s extremely versatile … I think James would be the first one to tell you there’s a lot of room for improvement on his end, and the good news is he’s working extremely hard right now to take another step.”
Being a No. 1 pick is rarified air at Tennessee. The program has produced just two in its history, both of which were quarterbacks. The last one? A guy named Peyton Manning, who was taken first off the board by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft. Tennessee hasn’t even had a defensive player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2017, when the Philadelphia Eagles selected Derek Barnett, the Vols’ career sack record-holder, with the No. 14 overall pick.
But Pearce is just that good — or, rather, he could be. The 6-foot-5 EDGE still has a ways to go and a whole season of…
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