Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 2 | 1186th / 2573 |
| Tackles for loss | 0 | — |
| Run stops | 17 | 152nd / 3263 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 29 | — |
Charting
Where Pierce's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
3 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Ohio State#2 · 6-1 | 7 | 83% | 37 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025 | Ohio State#2 · 12-2 | 13 | 46% | 44 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | Ohio State#1 · 14-2 | 3 | 3% | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Payton Pierce's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Payton Pierce's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 37 | 256th / 5408 |
| Solo | 13 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 0.5 | 2021st / 2450 |
| Sacks | 0.5 | 978th / 1212 |
| QB hurries | 2 | 302nd / 1380 |
| Passes defended | 2 | 337th / 1589 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Fumbles | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Fumbles | 0 | — |
| Lost | 0 | — |
| Recovered | 1 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Ball State | ✓ LB | 60 | ~35 (4–60) | 4 | · | 58% |
| Wk 2 · Texas | ✓ LB | 78 | ~74 (38–78) | 8 | · | 95% |
| Wk 3 · Kent State | ✓ LB | 55 | ~23 (2–42) | 2 | 1 | 42% |
| Wk 4 · Illinois | ✓ LB | 71 | ~64 (33–71) | 6 | · | 90% |
| Wk 5 · Iowa | ✓ LB | 52 | ~52 (26–52) | 6 | · | 100% |
| Wk 6 · Maryland | ✓ LB | 53 | ~47 (24–53) | 4 | · | 89% |
| Wk 7 · Indiana | — | 69 | ~68 (35–69) | 8 | · | 99% |
| Season | 6 GS | 438 | 363 (305–436) | 38 | 1 | 83% |
Position Room
14 LBs on the Ohio State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Payton Pierce | LB | JR | 37 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 2 |
| 5 | Riley Pettijohn | LB | SO | 22 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Christian Alliegro | LB | SR | 21 | 1.5 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 17 | Tarvos Alford | LB | SO | 19 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Cincere Johnson | LB | FR | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 41 | Braxton Rembert | LB | FR | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 36 | CJ Sanna | LB | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Garrett Stover | LB | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 33 | Eli Lee | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Zach Hayes | LB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | Eli Riggs | LB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 50 | Alec DelSignore | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 52 | Ty Howard | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 54 | Na'il Diggs Jr. | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Ohio State depth chart →