Senior safety on USC's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 205 lb · Fontana, CA · Rancho Cucamonga HS
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
S recruit
No. 427 nationally · Signed with USC
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on USC's 2026 roster.
Christian Pierce
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. He has spent four seasons in the USC secondary. One game to point at: 3 tackles against Louisiana — Week 2, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Lincoln Riley.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Lincoln Riley — 27-15 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
46.0%
97 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
70.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.0%
102 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Former four-star. Now #165 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #5 of 15 Big Ten Ss
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 49–30
vs Louisiana
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-26vs San José State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 1 | W 39-0vs Fresno State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
USC
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · USC
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
USC · Last season: 9-4 (AP #16) · Talent rank #9 · 2026 recruiting class #1
Player DNA
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Quinn Schulte’s 2023 season.
Matches Quinn on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Marcus Ratcliffe's junior season at Texas A&M (2025).
Matches Marcus on
Player DNA
CAREER: Through his three-year career, Pierce has recorded 79 tackles, including 2.5 for loss of 12 yards (with 1 sack for minus 10 yards), 3 PBUs, 1 INT and 1 forced fumble while appearing in 36 games with 9 starts. 2026: Pierce will return as an integral piece of the Trojan secondary as a senio...
17 more on the roster · USC team page