Dupage Policy Journal

Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Alec Pierce is having a breakout season for the undefeated, No. 3-ranked Bearcats. His high school alma mater isn’t doing too badly either. The Glenbard West Hilltoppers are a Forest Green-and-White scoring machine. They are 6-1 this season with a 301-68 scoring advantage. 

Among its alumni are NFL players Chris Watt (Notre Dame grad), who played offensive guard for the San Diego Chargers in 2014-2015, Matt Bowen (Iowa grad) who played strong safety for the St. Louis Rams, Green Bay and others from 2000-2006, and Alex Green (Indiana grad) who was a Dallas defensive back in 1987.

Why mention Pierce’s high school? There is a Notre Dame connection with Watt that came into play this year, and a big-time NCAA football connection with Bowen and Green, yet Pierce was largely overlooked by big college programs in 2017, when he graduated from Glenbard West and signed with Cincinnati.

Bearcat wide receiver Alec Pierce | GoBearcats.com

The 6-foot, 3-inch, 213-pound wide out from Glen Ellyn, Ill., left high school at 196 pounds. During his senior year in high school he caught 25 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns, and playing defense he had three sacks and four interceptions. Pierce was named West Suburban Conference Most Valuable Player and was rated a three-star recruit, and while he “heard from” such Big Ten programs as Illinois, Northwestern and Minnesota, he only received scholarship offers from Army, Ball State, Central Michigan, Columbia and Miami of Ohio, before signing with Cincinnati.

His college recruiting reports indicated that he was considered one of the top uncommitted prospects in Illinois. In high school and at college workouts, Pierce was clocked running a sub 4.5 40-yard dash. A recruiting report stated, “His speed along with tremendous makeup make him an ideal target for Cincinnati quarterback recruit, Ben Bryant (from Lyons Township, Ill.). Together the duo could put up some big numbers if he decides on the Bearcats.”

Signing with University of Cincinnati, Pierce played mostly on special teams as a freshman and practiced at linebacker, playing in 11 games and recording six tackles.

His stock rose as a sophomore, when he played all 14 games and caught 37 passes at wide receiver for a team-high 652 yards and two touchdowns. In his first career start in the opener against UCLA, his first reception was a career-long 52-yard catch, which set up UC’s first TD of the season. Against Ohio State he had four receptions for 93 yards, and he set career highs with six catches for 108 yards at Marshall. That year Pierce was named to the 2019 AAC All-Academic Team.

He missed four games of his junior season due to a knee injury and finished the year with 17 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Pierce had a reception in every game he played in, and finished with six catches of 20 or more yards, including a season-long 45-yard strike from QB Desmond Ridder in the AAC Championship game.

This year, he is fulfilling his promise and is having a breakout year.

In five games this year, Pierce has 21 receptions for 385 yards and two TDs. After two 2-catch performances against Miami (Ohio) who recruited him, and Murray State, who didn’t recruit him, he elevated his game with a 5-reception, 86-yard game against Indiana.

Then came the Notre Dame connection, against the No. 9-ranked Fighting Irish, Pierce was a sure-handed, quick and acrobatic force, hauling down 6 passes for 144 yards, including a 45-yard grab. The Irish altered coverage to double team him and their overlooking Pierce helped result in a huge upset win, 24-13, for the Bearcats.

Following that game, there was no letdown last Friday, when Pierce caught six more passes for 93 yards and a touchdown in the Bearcats’ 52-3 shellacking of Temple.

Pierce and the No. 3 Bearcats take their show back home against the University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights on Saturday at noon.

Sports Illustrated has scouted Pierce for NFL potential and has reported: “Listed at 6’3 1⁄8” and 208 pounds, Pierce boasts a long and athletic frame that will have NFL evaluators buzzing this draft season. He is also a gifted athlete, expected to test exceptionally well in the forty yard dash and other short area explosion drills. Pierce works primarily on the vertical third of the field, using his straight line speed and length to win down the football field. In contested situations, he is able to elevate and extend to work through contact. That combination makes Pierce a tough assignment matched up outside the numbers. From a stylistic perspective, this meshing of styles lends itself well to a one-on-one matchup.”

FanNation's NFL draft preview says this: “Lining up on the outside and in the slot, Pierce finds most of his success on vertical routes. He is tall, which translates to a big catch radius, making late adjustments and hauling in off-target passes. Pierce wins in the air, displaying good ball tracking and strong hands to hang on to the ball through contact. His speed is very good, getting behind zone coverage and threatening man defenders. He attacks blind spots on vertical routes. Pierce is a sharp route runner, paying attention to detail and possessing sufficient hip sink to get into breaks at his size. Varying his speed manipulates defenders and he has good ankle flexion to make 45-degree cuts instantly, winning on corners and posts. Against zone, he manipulates space downfield. Finishes runs instead of going out of bounds.”

Time will tell if those NFL teams that overlook Pierce will pay for that omission with on-field commission by the wide receiver.