Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 21-18@ Syracuse | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#15
Joshua Pierce
Redshirt junior linebacker for California. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 265 lb · Detroit, MI · University Liggett HS
Transferred North Texas → California for 2026
The numbers
1
tackle · 2026
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, at Syracuse
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 linebacker for California. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
- Transferred from North Texas to California in 2026.
Joshua Pierce
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Two head coaches in two seasons, at two different programs. One game to point at: 1 tackles against Syracuse — Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20256 games
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
California
2026era →
Tosh Lupoi
California
Coaching transition mid-career: Justin Wilcox → Tosh Lupoi. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to California
2025North Texas
2026California
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025North Texas12-2HC: Drew Svoboda · Balanced
2026California1-1HC: Tosh Lupoi · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tosh Lupoi
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | California | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | North Texas | 14 | 4 | 2.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 15 | 4 | 2.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 21–18
at Syracuse
1 TOT
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With A. Davies — 34 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 52 LONG · J. Sagapolutele — 182 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 54.4 · -5 rush yds (2 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Moso'oipala Tuitele’s 2024 season.
85%match
Matches Moso'oipala on
Class year
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Taje McCoy's sophomore season at Colorado (2024).
82%match
Matches Taje on
Weight
Hurry rate
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Joshua Pierce
Background
Redshirt Sophomore (2025) - North Texas Saw action in all 13 games. Posted 14 tackles with 2.0 TFL and two sacks on the season. Recorded a season-high five tackles against South Florida. Redshirt Freshman (2024) - Campbell Saw action in nine games. Finished the year with nine tackles and two tack...
The linebacker corps · California
- #21Aaron Hampton41 tackles · 2025
- #10Jayden Wayne26 tackles · 2025
- #15Joshua Pierce14 tackles · 2025
- #4Justin Beadles12 tackles · 2025
- Solomon Williams7 tackles · 2025
11 more on the roster · California team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology