Alec Pierce made a name for himself in 2024.
It was the year he led the league with a remarkable 22.3 yards per catch, recorded 824 yards on just 33 receptions, scored seven touchdowns – most of which came in some kind of jaw-dropping fashion – and became the player the Colts knew he could be.
It was the year Pierce met Chris Ballard and Reggie Wayne's expectations, and it was the year he looked most like himself.
You might ask, how can a third-year wide receiver "look like himself?" What does that mean?
The answer is simple, really: Pierce was playing just like he was when he first caught the Colts' attention. He was playing like he did at the University of Cincinnati.
Pierce's career as a Bearcat was characterized by his ridiculous athleticism, fiery competitiveness and willingness to go up against any defender to contend for a catch. He finished his college career with 1,851career receiving yards – ninth in program history – and racked up 106 receptions and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 17.5 yards per catch and was named to The Athletic's annual "Freaks" List by Bruce Feldman in 2021 (his senior year), and was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Colts thanks to his natural talent and immense potential.
It took until the Colts' Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, though, when Pierce set a new single-game career high with 134 receiving yards on three catches including a 65-yard touchdown, for Wayne to see "the Alec (he) saw in Cincinnati." Finally, Wayne thought, Pierce was playing with confidence and letting his competitive nature come back out.
It turned out all Pierce really needed was a challenge; Ballard told him to compete for his role as a starting wide receiver prior to the start of the season, and Pierce did just that.
That situation wasn't unlike the challenge that fueled Pierce's growth as a Bearcat – the only difference was, at Cincinnati, Pierce had a tangible thing to physically compete against every single day: cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Gardner, a three-star recruit and one of the best players in the state of Michigan, arrived at Cincinnati in 2019, one year after Pierce did. The two became fast friends, going up against each other almost every day in practice and spending the offseasons honing their skills even more.
"Thinking back to college, (he was) just super competitive," Pierce recalled. "Even, like, we would do walkthroughs at night and that walkthrough would turn quickly into pretty much going about 90 percent because he's trying to press you, you're trying to get off the press, whatever. So just a super competitive guy, and I think that kind of equated to how we worked and got better with each other."
As a boundary receiver, Pierce matched up with Gardner, a boundary cornerback, and the two fed off each other's competitiveness and physicality. For three years, Pierce and Gardner traded notes and learned from each other, and Pierce credits a lot of what he learned about how to be physical with his defenders from that time going against Gardner. Gardner was eventually selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, and Pierce went to the Colts the following round.
Now, both in their fourth seasons in the NFL, Pierce's abilities to fight his way up for a pass and beat almost any defender one-on-one have become two of his calling cards and Gardner's sticky coverage has turned him into one of the highest-regarded cornerbacks in the league.
"I'm really close with him, and he's a tremendous player," Pierce said. "I think we got each other a lot better."
After the draft, the two kept in touch via text message and phone call, but obviously struggled to find the time to see each other in person as they embarked on their individual NFL careers. But they still tracked each other's success and got together when they could – whether it was on the field after a game or on a golf course in the offseason.
On Wednesday morning, though, the two reunited in a way neither of them expected to be possible again: they became teammates once again.
Thanks to the Colts' trade with the Jets on Tuesday, the two Bearcats are back to sharing a locker room and a practice field. And, of course, that also means they're back to competing against each other whenever they can.
"I think just being in this environment and being on a team that has a good record, I think that'll bring the best out of him," Pierce said. "I think, (with his) competitiveness, I think he'll play up to the standard. So I'm excited to see what he can do."
Gardner, known especially for his elite coverage skills, bolsters the Colts defense entirely and has brought the kind of energy and excitement that spreads throughout a building. After all, his arrival shows the Colts are serious about winning and are confident in the abilities of everyone in the locker room.
"We got a lot of belief in our football team, and when you make a move like that, it's huge," head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday. "It boosts the confidence in everybody that our football team's in a good spot."
Gardner is no stranger to playing for a successful team, especially with Pierce as a teammate; the two helped lead the Bearcats to back-to-back AAC Championship victories in 2020 and 2021 and played key roles in major victories like the program's first top-10 win on the road with their victory over No. 9 Notre Dame in 2021. So, really, joining a 7-2 team with championship goals is the perfect fit for Gardner.
"I know he'll embrace it, I know he's up to the challenge," Pierce said. "I think for him, it'll be nice to be on a team with a winning record. This is just like us in college, we're back playing important games when we got a chance to do big things."
And as for the adjustment period for Gardner to get acquainted with his new teammates and new defense? Pierce isn't worried about that.
"He's one of those guys that's really good at everything," Pierce said. "I know he's a phenomenal bowler, he started golfing like two years ago and he's already better than most people at golf. He just picks up on things fast, he's just a tremendous athlete."
Pierce has always spoken highly of Gardner, and made sure his teammates knew exactly the kind of player and person who was joining their locker room; that's made Gardner's adjustment over the past 48 hours even smoother. Their connection even helped him get his preferred jersey number – No. 1 – from wide receiver Josh Downs.
But just because Pierce and Gardner are close friends doesn't mean they're not going to go all out against each other on the field.
"I was just telling him, like, I'm not gonna be 'brother-in-lawing' you in practice and stuff like that," Gardner said, laughing. "We always joke and things like that, so it was just great. He was super pumped."
And after all, why would either one take it easy on the other? That's how they got better as Bearcats, and that's what they'll be able to do now as Colts teammates.
