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Few Tennessee defenders have received more attention in recent years than James Pearce Jr. Pearce is ranked second in CBS Sports’ Top 100 college football players for 2024, trailing only Colorado star Travis Hunter, and has emerged as a probable 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 will tell you that Pearce has the potential to be much more. That’s a terrible thought for the opposing offense.

“We think the sky’s the limit for him,” defensive coordinator Tim Banks said about Pearce this spring. “Obviously, he was only a sophomore.” I believe he has only scratched the surface of his potential. He’s incredibly adaptable… I believe James would be the first to admit that there is a lot of room for development on his end, and the good news is that he is now working really hard to take the next 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.