TicketsINDIANAPOLIS – Current Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce’s path to NFL success can be traced back to fall Wednesdays seven years ago at the University of Cincinnati.
The Glen Ellyn, Illinois, native arrived at UC as a lightly recruited wide receiver with big goals: earn a mechanical engineering degree and chase an NFL dream.
“My Wednesday schedule my freshman year was crazy — and it taught me time management,” Pierce said during a break from Colts training camp. “We had a 6 a.m. freshman lift, then a 7:30 a.m. study hall, then back-to-back classes before lunch and treatment, then meetings and practice that usually ended around 5:30 p.m. But on Wednesdays, I had a 6 p.m. chemistry class and lab that sometimes lasted until 10 p.m. I’d literally leave practice early, run up the steps, grab my books and go straight to class. It was wild.”
Pierce said the demanding schedule set the tone for the rest of his career.“I learned how to push myself. That structure was actually good for me because otherwise I probably would’ve stayed up until two or three in the morning doing homework. They taught me to wake up early and get work done before class, and it’s a habit that stuck,” he said.
Engineering and Excellence
Pierce graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in just 3.5 years — something critics told him wasn’t possible while playing football.“People said I couldn’t complete an engineering degree and play football, and that drove me,” he said. “It taught me critical thinking and problem-solving skills I’ll use for the rest of my life.”
Pierce honed those problem-solving skills in classrooms and labs, including utilizing UC’s renowned co-op program in the school’s Micro and Nanotechnology Lab and, in the summer around his football workout schedule, at Valco Melton in Fairfield.
On the field, he became known for toughness, athleticism and contested catches. Coaches even experimented with him at linebacker during bowl practices as a freshman before he settled at wide receiver.
Defining Moments at UC
Pierce caught 106 passes for 1,851 yards and 12 touchdowns in 45 games. His breakout came during the historic 2021 College Football Playoff run when he caught six passes for 144 yards in UC’s 24–13 win at No. 9 Notre Dame.
“Beating Notre Dame and making the playoff — those are moments I’ll never forget,” Pierce said.
That season, Cincinnati started 13–0, won its second straight American Athletic Conference title and earned a Cotton Bowl berth against No. 1 Alabama. The roster featured 15 future NFL Draft picks, including skill-position standouts Desmond Ridder, Jerome Ford, Josh Whyle, Tre Tucker and Tyler Scott.
“People don’t realize how many great players we had on that team,” Pierce said. “Basically all our skill guys ended up in the NFL, and then the defense — our whole back end. It was a special moment in time.”
Pierce’s favorite memories weren’t just about games, though.
“Oh, I mean, we had some phenomenal football memories — winning our conference championships my junior and senior years was super fun. But honestly, just hanging out with my friends at our house on Jefferson was great. We’d have the whole team over; it was like one big family,” he said
NFL Success and Bearcat Brotherhood
Pierce, a second-round pick of the Colts in 2022, quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s premier deep threats.
Coming off a 2024 season in which he led the league in yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns, he is poised to join Travis and Jason Kelce as the next UC alumnus to become a household NFL name.
He credits UC practices for preparing him for Sundays.
“Every day we went up against Sauce [Gardner], Coby [Bryant], and Bryan [Cook],” Pierce said. “That competition made us better. Sauce is one of the best to ever do it, and Coby and Bryan are incredible players too. It’s no surprise all of us ended up in the NFL.”
Gardner, now the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, won 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year and recently signed a four-year, $120.4 million extension. Bryant remains a fixture in Seattle’s secondary, while Cook has already won two Super Bowls with Kansas City.
Life Beyond Football
Off the field, Pierce has built a growing interest in business and investing. While he is focused on football, his time at UC and the connections he formed there have him prepared for success off the field.
He joined the Sigma Sigma honorary fraternity his senior year and was connected to Jason Kelce as his mentor through the organization. Kelce then introduced him to a business advisor he works with today.
“I do some investing and work with my financial advisor — he’s a UC guy,” Pierce said. “It’s cool because I got into that through Bearcat connections.”
He also finds time for another passion: golf.
“I play a ton of golf, and one of the coolest things recently was winning the NFLPA Golf Classic with Desmond [Ridder], Sauce [Gardner], and Josh [Whyle],” he said. “It’s such a fun trip — they fly us down, we stay at a beautiful resort, and this year we won, so we have an auto-invite to defend our title next year. We’ll be back.”
That victory reminded him of his favorite times at UC.
“Winning championships and making the playoff were amazing, but the best part was the friendships — training camp at Higher Ground, living with my roommates, and just being around the guys every day. Those are memories I’ll always carry with me.
“Cincinnati gave me everything — great friends, a degree and the chance to play at the highest level,” he said. “I’ll always be proud to be a Bearcat.”