Nyles Pinckney breaks down Clemson visit

Pinckney was in Clemson for the Tigers' win over South Carolina

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Mon Jul 20 12:10:17 GMT-05:00 2015

Nyles PinckneyNyles Pinckney
Defensive Tackle
6-3, 290
Seabrook, SC
ESPN:
View Full Profile was one of the few uncommitted prospects to attend Friday night’s All In Cookout, and while the Clemson visit made an impact the in-state standout isn’t closer to a decision.

The 4-star Seabrook (SC) Whale Branch defensive tackle has long been thought to be a slight Clemson lean, but the No. 2 player in the state wants to see the recruiting process play out before making a decision.

Pinckney (6-3, 290) has been to Clemson many times and told TigerNet recently that the highlight of the cookout was just catching up with the coaches.

“It was good. I was just there having fun and the food was great,” Pinckney told TigerNet Saturday evening. “It was nice to see Coach [Dan] Brooks, Coach Swinney and Coach [Tony] Elliott.”

Getting to know the coaches away from football and seeing the family atmosphere that Clemson has to offer was a major selling point for Pinckney.

“What stood out for me was seeing all of the coaches,” Pinckney said. “We didn't really talk about football. I was just having a good time getting to know the players. They just wanted us to focus on getting to know them like family and they wanted to get to know us better.”

One coach in particular – head coach Dabo SwinneyDabo Swinney
Head Coach
View Full Profile – sets the Tigers apart from other programs.

“Coach Swinney is a genuine guy. He's down to earth and he seems like he gets to know the players better than most head coaches,” he said. “It was funny watching him dance.”

While Pinckney isn’t any closer to making a decision, he said at this point he’s leaning towards playing his college career at either Clemson or South Carolina.

“I think I'm going to stay in state but I'm still looking at a few schools that are outside of South Carolina,” he said. “I'm probably going to wait until after the season is over to make a decision.”

As a freshman, Pinckney registered 91 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

During his sophomore season, Pinckney accounted for 76 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, two blocked punts, an interception and two defensive touchdowns.

As a junior, Pinckney had 98 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, eight fumble recoveries, and three blocked field goals.