Josh Heupel Explains James Pearce Jr.'s NFL Draft Hype

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heuepl reacted to several outlets projecting edge rusher James Pearce Jr. to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has been projected to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft on several mock drafts. He was selected to the All-SEC first-team in 2023 and is regarded as the top returning defensive prospect across college football.

Head coach Josh Heupel has noticed the buzz around Pearce and noted that he still has a long way to go before next year's NFL Draft. However, he was over the top in his praise and explained why Pearce reached his dominant heights as early as he did.

"It does speak to his talent and some of the things that he’s done on the football field," Heupel explained to reporters. "James is long, athletic. He’s made a bunch of plays. There’s still a lot of growth for James in his understanding of the game, being able to play at the level consistently that he’s capable of and that he wants to. He’s a young player still in our program. I say that (meaning) he wasn’t a mid-year enrollee; he’s had two falls with us. We still expect to see a ton of growth in him and go handle the season the right way."

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