After Ohio State offered Chicago linebacker Christian Pierce on Wednesday, there’s reason to believe the Buckeyes will have to battle with their rivals if they want to land Pierce’s commitment.
Pierce’s older brother, Trey, is an incoming freshman at Michigan. When Christian Pierce received his offer from Ohio State on Wednesday, Trey sent him a congratulatory message – but also told his younger brother he should look to the north.
“He was happy for me, but he had to put his two cents in about where home is,” Christian Pierce told Eleven Warriors.
— Trey Pierce (@treypierceiii) May 24, 2023
That said, Christian won’t become a Wolverine just because his brother did. While the younger Pierce was offered by Michigan in December, he says he’s keeping all of his options open and will go through his own recruiting process.
“Having my brother here helping me with my recruiting process is a great tool for me, it’s gonna help a lot, but I feel like me and my brother are completely different people and his home is completely different from what my home is,” Christian Pierce said.
While Trey Pierce, a three-star defensive tackle in the 2023 class, was never offered by Ohio State, Christian Pierce received his offer from the Buckeyes after Ohio State linebackers coach Jim Knowles visited Brother Rice High School on Wednesday. Christian Pierce said he had not had any contact with Knowles before Wednesday, but he was thrilled to hear that Knowles wanted to offer him.
“It was an amazing, amazing talk that I had with my coach,” Pierce recalled. “(Knowles) came to the school, and I was in the office as well, and he said that he liked me as a player, he thinks he could coach me up and develop me.”
Although his recruitment by Ohio State is just beginning, Pierce has been intrigued by Ohio State for a long time.
“I’ve definitely paid close attention to Ohio State. Their historic dominance in the Big Ten is amazing. How could you not pay attention to Ohio State?” Pierce said. “Their defense, their all-around program, their coaching is amazing.”
“Me and my brother are completely different people and his home is completely different from what my home is.”– Christian Pierce on his brother going to Michigan
Currently finishing up his sophomore year at Brother Rice, where he recorded 100 tackles in 2022, Pierce has not yet scheduled any visits for this summer. But he fully expects to make a trip to Columbus at some point.
“That’s definitely on the schedule to schedule some visits. I would love to get around to a lot of colleges and see a lot of fits and get to know a lot of schools,” Pierce said. “Definitely visiting Ohio State.”
As the recruiting process ramps up for Pierce, he says he’ll be looking for a school where he feels comfortable performing to his best ability and where he’s confident he’ll have good relationships with his teammates and coaches.
“The first thing I would look for is my position coach – the linebacker coach – and the strength and conditioning coach and the head coach. And the teammates that I will be around every day. Those are the people I'll be spending most of my time with. So if I feel comfortable with them, I’m all good,” Pierce said.
Currently ranked as the 277th overall prospect and No. 31 linebacker in the 2025 class, Pierce currently holds offers from half of the Big Ten, also including Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin in addition to Ohio State. Other schools that have offered Pierce include Texas, Arizona State, Boston College and Louisville.
Given that his recruiting class still has two more high school seasons to go, it’s too early to say who Ohio State’s top priorities at linebacker will be in the 2025 cycle. But while Pierce isn’t as highly ranked right now as many of the other linebackers Ohio State has offered in his class, he’s confident he can make an impact at any school he ends up at.
“I would say I'm a fast, instinctive linebacker who just knows his way around the field sideline to sideline,” Pierce said. “And I feel like my level of IQ on the field, just knowing the play and just knowing the concept offenses like to run really helps me get a foot in the door.
“My love for the game is what drives me to be better every day. I try to get better every day. And I feel like I have a lot to deliver to any school that I go to.”
If Pierce was to become a Buckeye, he and his older brother could potentially be the first pair of brothers on opposing teams in The Game since 2017 and 2018, when former Ohio State long snapper Bradley Robinson was in his first two years with the Buckeyes and his older brother Andrew Robinson was in his final two years as a Michigan long snapper.
