Where Tennessee's James Pearce finished the season in the Pro Football Focus ratings
James Pearce was elite on the field during his breakout sophomore season for Tennessee. The star edge rusher was just as elite in the Pro Football Focus grades.
Pearce finished fifth overall in defensive rating at 91.0 this season, behind only UCLA’s Laiatu Latu (96.2), Marshall’s Elijah Alston (91.2) and SMU’s Elijah Roberts (91.2). Pearce was third in pass rush with a season grade of 92.4, behind Latu (94.2) and Texas State’s Ben Ball (93.0).
Pearce was played 462 snaps in 13 games, with 246 pass-rushing snaps and 182 snaps in run defense. He had an 87.8 grade in coverage and 68.3 grade against the run, to go with the 92.4 pass-rush grade.
James Pearce this season: 10.0 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, 16 QB Hits
Pearce led Tennessee’s defense with 10.0 sacks, four more than the next closest player (Tyler Baron). He led the Vols in tackles for loss with 14.5, three more than Aaron Beasley’s 11.5. And he racked up 16 quarterback hits, 11 ahead of Baron in second place.
He had 2.0 sacks against Virginia and South Carolina, 1.5 sacks against Iowa, 1.0 sacks against Austin Peay, Texas A&M, Alabama and Missouri and 0.5 sacks against Vanderbilt. He had 2.0 tackles for loss against Virginia, Florida, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
Pearce ended the season on a high note, taking an interception back for a touchdown in the win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
He was Tennessee’s highest-rated defender with the 91.0 overall grade, coming in ahead of Jaylen McCollough (85.8), Kamal Hadden (85.7) and Keenan Pili (80.8). Fellow sophomore pass rusher Joshua Josephs had a grade of 79.1.
Josh Heupel: ‘He has a chance to be extremely special’
“James has a great football future in front of him,” Josh Heupel said after Tennessee’s 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. “He is a great player right now, but (I) really believe he has a chance to be extremely special.
“Just for him, continuing to grow and his understanding and football IQ as we continue to move him around and put him in positions to win is going to be extremely important as we go through this off-season.”
Heupel described Pearce as versatile in the pass rush, with multiple moves at his disposal. And he noted there is still growth to be had “in some of those fundamentals” and more room to grow in run defense.
“I say all of that,” Heupel said, “(but) he is a dynamic playmaker for us (and) has a really rare and bright future in front of him.”
