RINGGOLD, Ga. – What a difference a year has made for Tristen Pierce.
This time a year ago the Ringgold High School athlete was a “skinny” tight end with hopes of playing college football. Today he’s a 280-pound tackle about to sign a college scholarship with Austin Peay and new head coach Will Healy.
Pierce committed to the Governors this past weekend after visiting the Clarksville campus. Though he had an official visit scheduled for FBS school Georgia State, Pierce accepted Healy’s offer on the spot and declared that his decision is final.
“I was going to take a visit to Georgia State this weekend, but I was sold on Austin Peay,” said Pierce, who was also being recruited by Old Dominion and Presbyterian. “Coach Healy has something going up there. I went up there with the mindset that it was a program with a new staff that hadn’t had much of a winning history, but it didn’t take long to win me over.
“I didn’t want to sit back and watch them build something beautiful and not be a part of it.”