James Pearce says former Georgia player that he heard about all the time at Tennessee has become one of his biggest mentors
Former Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce told reporters this past week that a former Georgia Bulldogs player he used to hear about often at UT has become a major mentor for him in the NFL. Pearce, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, told reporters […]
Former Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce told reporters this past week that a former Georgia Bulldogs player he used to hear about often at UT has become a major mentor for him in the NFL.
Pearce, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, told reporters that former Bulldogs edge rusher Leonard Floyd is a player he’s learning a lot from during training camp.
Floyd, a first round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2016, is entering his first season with the Falcons.
Pearce was familiar with Floyd before reaching the NFL because former Vols assistant coach Mike Ekeler — who recruited Pearce to Tennessee — also coached Floyd at Georgia.
“Flo’s my guy since day one, even when I was training in the off season, he would call me sometimes just to check in,” said Pearce when asked about Floyd. “So that’s my guy. That’s my brother.”
“Just how much I can learn from him, he’s been in the game a long time,” added Pearce. “And Mike Ekeler, from Tennessee, recruited me. He coached Leonard at Georgia. So I’ve been hearing that since I was recruited for college — Leonard Floyd, Leonard Floyd. So the chance that God lined it up for me be able to play with him in his first year here and my first year here, is just, I don’t question it.”
Floyd’s spent a decade in the NFL, which is no small feat. So even though he’s a Georgia guy, Floyd’s a tremendous option to be a mentor for Pearce.
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