Senior safety for USC. 2026: 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 19 tackles.
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.
How he plays
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Passes defended: 92nd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
interception · 2026 · through week 3
Best game: 1 INT, 2 PBU, 11 tackles, at Rutgers
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior safety for USC. 2026: 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 19 tackles.
Christian Pierce
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. He has spent four seasons in the USC secondary. One game to point at: 3 tackles against Louisiana — Week 2, 2026.
19 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.
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 · 4 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 | |
| Wk 1 | W 39-0vs Fresno State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 42-35@ Rutgers | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Total | 19 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 39–0
vs Fresno State
Since week 2: +2 pass breakups, +11 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Lincoln Riley — 28-15 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (92nd percentile). Concern: tackles for loss (16th 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.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
11%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
19tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL19 tackles · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
47.3%
129 pass / 144 run
Plays / game
68.2
4 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
137 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
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.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Christian Charles’s 2025 season.
Matches Christian on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Elijah Jackson's senior season at Washington (2024).
Matches Elijah 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…
17 more on the roster · USC team page