Cory Trice Jr. Bio
Cory Carlisle Trice Jr. (born May 30, 2000) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers from 2018 to 2022 and currently plays in the National Football League (NFL). Trice was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he has built his early professional career despite being tested by multiple injuries.
Early Life and Background
Cory Carlisle Trice Jr. was born on May 30, 2000, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in the United States. He grew up in Christian County, Kentucky, and attended Christian County High School, the same program that helped shape his early development as a multi-sport athlete. As a senior, Trice earned recognition as the Southern Pennyrile Football Athlete of the Year, a regional award that highlighted his standing among the top high school players in western Kentucky.
Coming out of high school, Trice drew college attention and committed to Purdue University, where he would spend the next five seasons developing at the highest level of college football. Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and listed at 206 lb (93 kg), his combination of size, length, and athletic traits made him an intriguing prospect for programs looking to develop defensive backs in the modern pro style. His family background, including the early loss of his father, has also been part of the personal story that shaped his path into the league.
Path to American Football
Trice’s path to the NFL began at Christian County High School, where his play at the defensive back position earned him the Southern Pennyrile Football Athlete of the Year award. That recognition helped him secure a scholarship offer from Purdue, and he committed to the Boilermakers to play college football. His size and physical profile made him a developmental project at the cornerback position, with the program betting on his athletic ceiling.
At Purdue, Trice transitioned from a safety role into a full-time cornerback, a move that required adjustments in coverage technique, footwork, and route recognition. He worked his way into the rotation and steadily earned more responsibility, even as injuries interrupted his progress. By the time he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, Trice had built a resume that combined on-field production with the physical traits NFL scouts look for in outside cornerbacks.
Cory Trice Jr. Career
Early Career (2018–2020)
Trice enrolled at Purdue in 2018 and began his college career as a safety before the coaching staff moved him to cornerback in 2019. The position change was a significant step in his development, as it required him to learn press-man and off-man coverages, while also playing the ball in downfield situations. He appeared in games during his first two seasons, gradually earning snaps as he adjusted to the speed and complexity of Big Ten offenses.
Throughout this early stretch, Trice showed the size and length that would later define his draft profile, along with the willingness to play physically against bigger wide receivers. Coaches trusted him in a variety of roles, including special teams, which became an important avenue for him to get on the field as a young player. His progress in this window laid the foundation for a larger role once Purdue returned from pandemic-affected scheduling.
Big Ten and Purdue Breakthrough (2021–2022)
Trice’s breakout trajectory was delayed in 2021, when a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee limited him to just two games. The injury was a major setback, but he worked through rehabilitation and returned to the field for the 2022 season. That comeback year became his most productive collegiate campaign, and he was recognized as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection for his play on the outside.
Over the course of his Purdue career, Trice totaled 106 tackles, five interceptions, and two touchdowns, numbers that reflected his ball-hawking instincts and finishing ability in the secondary. His 2022 tape, in particular, helped reinforce his draft evaluation as a long, physical cornerback with starting potential. By the time he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, he had completed a five-year college arc that included both adversity and steady growth.
Pittsburgh Steelers Era (2023–Present)
Trice was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round with the 241st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He signed his rookie contract on May 11, 2023, but his first training camp was cut short when he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and was placed on injured reserve on August 2, 2023. That injury forced him to miss his entire rookie season and tested the early stages of his professional career.
Trice made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season and quickly produced a defining moment. In Week 2, on September 15, 2024, he recorded his first career interception, picking off Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix in a 13–6 Steelers win. The play underscored the ball skills he had shown at Purdue and gave him a memorable first signature moment in the league. Later in September 2024, he was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury before being activated on December 5, 2024.
In 2025, Trice was placed on injured reserve/designated for return on August 26 due to a hamstring injury. On November 19, Pittsburgh elected not to activate him because of a knee issue, and he reverted to season-ending injured reserve. As of his most recent career reporting, he had recorded 21 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and 1 interception in limited regular-season action.
Driving Style and Strengths
Trice plays a physical, length-driven style of cornerback built around his 6 ft 3 in frame and 93 kg build. He is at his best in press coverage, where he can use his reach to disrupt wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and re-route routes. His ball skills and finishing ability, refined during his time at Purdue, allow him to convert contested situations into turnovers, and his special teams value gives the Steelers flexibility in how they deploy him week to week.
Notable Events and Milestones
His first NFL interception off Bo Nix in September 2024 stands as the signature moment of his young career, and his selection as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2022 marked the high point of his college resume. Recovering from two separate ACL injuries, one in college and one in his first NFL training camp, has been an off-field milestone that speaks to his resilience and long-term outlook as a developmental corner.
Cory Trice Jr. Career Highlights
Trice’s career highlights are spread across his time at Purdue and his early seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the college level, he produced 106 tackles, five interceptions, and two touchdowns, while earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition in 2022. In the NFL, his first career interception against the Denver Broncos in 2024 is the most memorable play of his professional tenure so far.
Purdue and NFL Highlights
During his five years at Purdue, Trice developed from a safety prospect into a starting-level Big Ten cornerback, peaking with his 2022 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention campaign. His professional highlights remain limited in volume but include his debut in Week 1 of the 2024 season and his first interception one week later. Continued health will be the determining factor in expanding that highlight reel.
Other Performances
Trice contributed on special teams for Pittsburgh when healthy, an area that has helped him stay on the active roster through injury challenges. His coverage ability and tackling in space are also part of his scouting profile, even though his overall statistical sample in the NFL remains small.
Cory Trice Jr. Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Trice’s family background is rooted in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where he grew up and attended Christian County High School. His father, Cory Trice Sr., was tragically shot and killed in 2010, an event that has been part of the personal story shaping his journey into professional football. The Trice family connection to football in the Hopkinsville area played a role in his early development as a defensive back.
Personal Life
Trice has been open about his father Cory Trice Sr. and the impact of his passing on his life and career. Beyond that, he keeps most personal details private while continuing to build his professional resume in Pittsburgh.
2025 Season Performance
Trice’s 2025 season was disrupted by a hamstring injury that sent him to injured reserve/designated for return on August 26. Although Pittsburgh kept the option of bringing him back open, a subsequent knee injury changed those plans, and on November 19 the Steelers chose not to activate him, moving him to season-ending injured reserve. The campaign ultimately closed without additional regular-season production beyond his prior totals.
For the Steelers, Trice’s 2025 outlook was tied to his recovery and his ability to stick on the roster through injury designations. His prior 21 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and 1 interception remained his career line heading into the offseason following the 2025 campaign. The focus moving forward will be on full health, with an eye toward competing for a larger defensive role in Pittsburgh.