Zacch Pickens, the top prospect in South Carolina for the 2019 class, keeps his cards close to the vest when it comes to his recruitment and doesn’t publicly claim any leaders. But the Anderson-T.L. Hanna defensive end is high on a couple of ACC schools.

Clemson and Florida State are currently considered the top contenders for Pickens, who made his most recent visits to the two schools in March.

“With Florida State, there, it feels like they’re working on their kinship,” Pickens told The Clemson Insider at the EPT Showcase in Columbia on Sunday. “And at Clemson, it feels like they’re trying to be a bigger and better team and working together like a family.”

Florida State gave Pickens his first major offer in November 2015.

Seminoles defensive ends coach Brad Lawing traveled to T.L. Hanna to see Pickens during the spring evaluation period. Pickens attended Florida State’s junior day on March 4.

“It was real nice to see the school and where everything was,” Pickens said of the visit. “It’s really big.”

At the end of March, Pickens went to Clemson to watch a spring practice.

Clemson defensive line coach Todd Bates also checked in on Pickens at his school recently.

“Just stay humble,” Pickens said of what he heard from Bates, “and he always gives me a tip of the day to get through the day.”

Pickens, who doesn’t plan to make a decision until his senior year, has other offers from Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

As a sophomore last season, he amassed 77 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.