Linebacker, Ohio State, 2024–26
Payton Pierce
- Number
- No. 26
- Height
- 6′1″
- Weight
- 232 lb
- Class (2026)
- Junior
- Hometown
- Lucas, TX
Payton Pierce plays linebacker for Ohio State. Last time out, at Indiana: 7 tackles.
2026 so far
37 tackles, 0.5 sacks
Last game: 7 tackles at Indiana, W 19–15
Next game: at USC, Oct 31
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
9tackles, career highat Texas, 2026Team titles: National champions, 2024
Defense
* The season in progress, so far.
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Ohio State | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 44 | 24 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | Ohio State | 37 | 13 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Career | 85 | 38 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Ohio State | 26 | LB | Fr. | ||
| 2025 | Ohio State | 26 | LB | So. | ||
| 2026 | Ohio State | 26 | LB | Jr. | 6′1″ | 232 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2026 Ohio State 7 games, 37 tackles, 0.5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs. Ball State | W 56–3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 12 | at Texas | L 23–24 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | vs. Kent State | W 59–3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | vs. Illinois | W 42–19 | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | at Iowa | W 31–14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 10 | vs. Maryland | W 45–16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 17 | at Indiana | W 19–15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2025 Ohio State 13 games, 44 tackles, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs.Texas | W 14–7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 6 | vs. Grambling | W 70–0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 13 | vs. Ohio | W 37–9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 27 | at Washington | W 24–6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4 | vs. Minnesota | W 42–3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 11 | atIllinois | W 34–16 | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 18 | at Wisconsin | W 34–0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 1 | vs. Penn State | W 38–14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 8 | at Purdue | W 34–10 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 15 | vs. UCLA | W 48–10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22 | vs. Rutgers | W 42–9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 29 | at Michigan | W 27–9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 31 ✦ | vs. Miami | L 14–24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024 Ohio State 3 games, 4 tackles
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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