Four-Star LB Payton Pierce locks in commitment date

Four-star linebacker Payton Pierce of Lucas (TX) Lovejoy High will announce his college decision today at 6 PM Central Time.

The 6-foot-2, 225 pounder will choose between Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.

He discussed his finalists.

Texas was one of the first schools that recruited me. Me and coach Choate have had a great relationship and I believe he is a great coach. Playing in my home state would be a pretty special opportunity as well.

Tennessee was awesome. I fell in love with the campus and the school right when I stepped on it. The atmosphere there is unmatched and I believe their coaching staff is top notch and their success this year proves that.

Notre Dame has been one of my top schools for a while now. They can offer a lot of things that most schools can’t with their degree and connections that Notre Dame has. I believe coach Freeman and Coach Golden are some of the best coaches I’ve seen in this recruiting process.

Growing up as a massive OU fan it is pretty unbelievable that I get recruited by them. I believe Coach Venables is one of the best linebacker coaches in the country and it is pretty unique to have that as a head coach. I believed they have completely flipped the culture there and I could see myself there.

Ohio State came into my recruitment a little later but they have recruited me just as hard has any other school. Their culture and the type of players on their team really stick out to me. I have close relationships with the coaches on the staff and I believe that they are some of the best of the best.

I’ve visited Texas A&M a lot and I think a lot of things stick out about them. They’re very close to home, the linebacker room is very thin and playing in the SEC and Kyle field is awesome. I have really good relationships with their coaches and I believe that they could make me better.

Pierce ranks as the No. 201 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 21 linebacker and the No. 37 player in the state of Texas.

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $70K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.