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Tennessee football: 2022 North Carolina edge rusher James Pearce commits to, signs with Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 9, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; A military flyover passes over Neyland Stadium before an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; A military flyover passes over Neyland Stadium before an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY Sports /
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This was a shocker for Josh Heupel. Tennessee football shockingly lured a 2022 edge rusher away from the Carolinas late in the afternoon on the first day of the early signing period, one who will significantly improve their class.

North Carolina edge rusher James Pearce committed to and signed with the Vols. A four-star on Rivals and a three-star on 247Sports and ESPN out of Julius L. Chambers in Charlotte, N.C., Pearce stands between 6’4″ and 6’5″ and weighs 220 pounds.

Initially, all signs pointed to the product of Mecklenburg County heading to the South Carolina Gamecocks, which is why him joining the Vols is a bit of a surprise. Tennessee football announced his signing with a video on its Twitter account.

With the addition of Pearce, the Vols are now loaded at edge rusher. You can see why Venson Sneed may have decommitted to join the Indiana Hoosiers and why Morven Joseph may have transferred. Tim Banks’ unit is deep here.

Already, the Vols are returning Byron Young, Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison. Meanwhile, they add Elijah Herring and Joshua Josephs in this class, both of whom could assume the edge rusher role. Pearce, though, is the most standout commitment of all of them.

Just like Josephs, Pearce will be used solely as an edge rusher. Herring could end up moving to linebacker depending on the depth of the position. However, Pearce’s still will keep him on the outside. Here’s a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Pearce has incredible athleticism and is able to go full-steam ahead, just like an edge rusher is supposed to do. However, he is also able to recover quickly if he gets beat on a screen or a draw, which is a huge deal.

Next. Vols' early signing period primer. dark

That athleticism makes it clear why he was able to double up as a receiver, and it could be a huge asset in the SEC. Simply put, Pearce was a huge pickup for Tennessee football, and with him and Tyre West committing, Josh Heupel and Tim Banks really shored up the defense on the first day of the early signing period.

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