Tennessee Vols sophomore listed as No. 31 overall player in college football in 2023

A Tennessee Vols defender was ranked last week among the top players in college football for the 2023 season by Pro Football Focus. 

PFF listed Vols sophomore edge rusher James Pearce as the No. 31 overall player in the sport in 2023. 

From PFF: Pearce stuffed the stat sheet in 2023 with 52 pressures, [10] sacks, two forced fumbles and a pick-six. All of that led to a 92.4 pass-rush grade, which trailed only UCLA’s Laiatu Latu among Power Five edge defenders. Pearce’s underlying metrics support his production, and he is college football’s top returning edge rusher in 2024.

Pearce is already generating plenty of draft hype ahead of what's expected to be his final season on Rocky Top. 

The North Carolina native was listed by A to Z Sports' Travis May as the top pick in an early 2025 NFL mock draft. May's prediction that Pearce will be an early selection in the 2025 NFL Draft falls in line with what an AFC scout told ESPN last month.