Clemson gets 4-Star in-State DT Nyles Pinckney over South Carolina

Written by Ryan Wright

The Tigers 2016 recruiting class got a little bit stronger on Friday with the verbal commitment of Whale Branch High School defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney.

Pinckney burst onto the recruiting scene as a sophomore coming up with 91 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, and seven sacks. The 6’3”, 290 pound, athlete proved his stats in 2013 were not a fluke besting his stat line with 98 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, five sacks, and two fumble recoveries returned for a touchdown helping the Warriors to 7-5 record in 2014.

An announcement date was set on July 28 with Clemson and South Carolina being the two frontrunners after offers from Duke, ECU, Florida, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, UNC, Virginia, and Wake Forest.

Clemson now has 12 verbal commitments to their 2016 recruiting class but eight of the pledges are 4-star recruits; Lamar, Cooper, Feaster, Kelly, Chase, Pollard, Powell, and Pinckney.

Clemson 2016 Verbal Commitment List
LB Tre Lamar 6’3”, 240 lbs, Roswell HS, Roswell, GA
LB Jamie Skalski, 6’0”, 230 lbs, Northgate HS, Newman, GA
DE Xavier Kelly, 6’4”, 255 lbs, Wichita East HS, Wichita, KS
DT Nyles Pinckney, 6’3”, 290 lbs, Whale Branch HS, Seabrook, SC
CB Brian Dawkins Jr., Fork Union Military Academy, Fork Union, VA
QB Zerrick Cooper, 6’4”, 205 lbs, Jonesboro HS, Jonesboro, GA
RB Tavien Feaster, 6’0”, 200 lbs, Spartanburg HS, Spartanburg, SC
OT Sean Pollard, 6’5”, 290 lbs, Pinecrest HS, Southern Pines, NC
OT Chandler Reeves, 6’6”, 255 lbs, Eagle’s Landing, McDonough, GA
TE J.C. Chalk, 6’4”, 220 lbs, Argyle HS, Argyle, TX
WR Tavares Chase, 6’2”, 180 lbs, IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL
WR Cornell Powell, 6’1”, 180 lbs, J.H. Rose HS, Greenville, NC

Photo credit: bucshat.com; Clemson fans cheer on the Tigers.