Tennessee edge rusher declares for 2025 NFL Draft

On By Littum

Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, forgoing his senior season.

On Wednesday, he announced his decision on Instagram.

Pearce, a 6-foot-5, 243-pounder, is among the top pass rushers in the 2025 draft. He is a projected first round pick.

Peace was a two-time All-SEC first-team selection for the Vols. He was a semi-finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Walter Camp awards.

He had 43 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focusthird best nationally among defensive ends. In the regular season, he accounted for 52 total pressures, ranking second in the SEC and sixth among edge rushers in Power Four conferences.

Pearce led Tennessee in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (7.5) for the second straight season. He also recorded a career-high 38 tackles, along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 2024.

How Tennessee replaces James Pearce on the defensive line

Losing Pearce will affect Tennessee because he was one of college football’s most disruptive pass rushers.

But the Vols expected Pearce to declare for the draft, so they already had a good succession plan for his position.

Joshua Josephs is in line to take Pearce’s spot as the starting edge rusher. Josephs posted one of the highest Pro Football Focus grades of any defensive player in college football during his junior season in 2024. He had nine tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, eight quarterback hurries, a team- high three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

If Josephs plays well in his senior season in 2025, he will emerge as an early pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Caleb Herring and Jordan Ross will step up in the rotation behind Josephs. Herring, a former Riverdale standout, was the No. 1 recruit. 1 in the state of Tennessee in the 2023 class. Ross, a former five-star prospect, was arguably the No. 1, which was the best in the country in the 2024 class.

In addition to Pearce, Tennessee’s defensive line also lost Omari Thomas, Omarr Norman-Lott and Elijah Simmons to the draft. They had exhausted their eligibility. And defensive end Jayson Jenkins transferred to Florida State.

Fortunately, the Vols had the deepest defensive line rotation in college football last season, so they can absorb some of those losses. Starting defensive tackle Bryson Eason is set to return along with Jaxson Moi and Daevin Hobbs at second defensive tackle.

Starting strongside defensive end Dominic Bailey and backups Tire West and Tyree Weathersby will also be back.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. E-mail [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get the latest SEC football news and insights by subscribing to SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered directly to your inbox.