Volunteer Country

James Pearce Remains Among SEC's Elite

Tennessee Volunteers edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the SEC for this upcoming football season.

Evan Crowell

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) is seen on the ground in front of Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) is seen on the ground in front of Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Tennessee Volunteers edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the SEC for this upcoming football season.

Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is one of the most accomplished returners in college football as a rising junior. Last year, he was a consensus first-team All-SEC player after tallying 27 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. He's viewed as the next great protege from defensive line coach Rodney Garner, one of the top assistants in the sport.

Pearce measures in at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds with some of the best bend a prospect has had in recent NFL Draft memory. He's the preseason consensus No. 1 overall edge rusher for the 2025 NFL Draft and is among the driving reasons the Volunteers believe they could make the 12-team College Football Playoff.

On3 writer Jesse Simonton ranked the top players in the SEC entering the 2024-2025 college football season, and Pearce came in at No. 1 overall. This sentiment echoes the overall sentiment echoed throughout college football this offseason—if you're planning on beating the Vols, you better have a good plan in place for No. 27.

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Evan Crowell

EVAN CROWELL

Evan Crowell is the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, basketball, and recruiting. He previously worked as the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Gamecocks Digest.

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