Illinois · L 23-42
No tackles.
Samford · W 33-14 · FCS
4 tackles
Pierce has tackles in 7 of UAB’s 8 games: none against Illinois.
Jo Pierce
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. One game to point at: 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against East Carolina — Week 7, 2026.
69 tackles · 2.5 sacks
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UAB | 69 | 46 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Career | 69 | 46 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 4 |
Last game (Wk 9): 11 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 26-20vs UL Monroe | 11 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 14-21@ Louisiana | 8 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 24-20vs Navy | 7 | 5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 sacks |
| Wk 5 | W 33-14vs Samford | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-38@ Memphis | 12 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 7 | W 30-17vs East Carolina | 16 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 16 tackles |
| Wk 9 | L 10-30@ South Florida | 11 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 69 | 46 | 5.0 | 2.5 | — | 4 |
Oct. 31 · L 10-30 at South Florida, play by play
11 tackles.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 5 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 7 games with play by play.
How UAB’s defense played that day
South Florida’s 10 drives: 6 stopped · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 2 of 4.
16 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up. The fumble he forced on 3rd and 7 ended East Carolina’s drive (td).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 14 of his 16, sacks included.
Forced a fumble on 3rd and 7. Second quarter, down 7-0. Ended East Carolina’s drive (td).
A big game: 12 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for 5th-most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 11 of his 12, sacks included.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
7 tackles, including 2 sacks, tied for 5th-most sacks in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss on 3rd and 7. First quarter, tied 0-0.
8 tackles. The fumble he forced ended Louisiana’s drive (fumble).
Forced a fumble. Fourth quarter, down 21-14. Ended Louisiana’s drive (fumble).
11 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 10 of his 11, sacks included.
Week 4 · 2026
W 24-20
vs Navy
2.5 sacks · 2.5 tackles for loss · 7 tackles
A close one, won by 4 at home.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to +7 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
6%4 pass breakupsTackle volume
69tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%5 TFL69 tackles · 5 for loss · 2.5 sacks · 4 pass breakups.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 9.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Road3g | 10.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 9.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alex Mortensen
Pass share
37.8%
199 pass / 327 run
Plays / game
65.8
8 games
Team sack rate
10.7%
234 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2026
69 tackles in 7 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #7 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Mike Gundy, Doug Meacham and Alex Mortensen.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to UAB
