In his first three seasons from 2020 to 2022, Pierce played in 26 games with 24 starts for the Scarlet Knights, becoming a full-time starter in 2021. He was also a Burlsworth Trophy nominee in 2022.[3][4][5][6][excessive citations] During the 2023 season, Pierce switched to left tackle, where he started all 13 games at left tackle for the Scarlet Knights and was named honorable mention all-Big Ten Conference.[7] Ahead of the 2024 season, he was named the 98th best college football player by On3.com.[8] Pierce was once again nominated for the Burlsworth Award in 2024.[9]