It all started with the first play of the Fiesta Bowl last December. That is when Clemson defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney severely damaged his ankle.

Pinckney tried to come back in the national championship game against LSU, but the doctors had to shut him down when his ankle was not responding to treatment. After the season was over, the 6-foot-1, 295-pound graduate student had surgery to repair his ankle.

“It was frustrating because some days were harder than others,” Pinckney said.

The Tigers’ veteran defensive tackle wore a boot for almost eight weeks and missed all nine of Clemson’s spring practices. It was a long process, one where Pinckney had to overcome more issues than he expected.

“I had to kind of learn how to walk again, like walk in a different way because I was in a boot for so long,” he said. “So, I lost muscle and different things like that, so it was a hard process. I tried to learn simple stuff that you did since you were younger.

Pinckney tried to stay in shape by riding bikes, running in water in the pool and walking on the underwater treadmill.

“Different ways to keep myself in shape until I was actually cleared to run again,” he said.

This marked the second year in a row Pickney missed an entire spring due to an injury. In 2019, he bounced back to earn third-team All-ACC honors on a Clemson defense that ranked in the top three in scoring defense and in the top six in total defense.

He started 13 of the 14 games he played in for defensive coordinator Brent Venables, while totaling 27 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack. Last year’s experience helped Pinckney’s confidence, knowing as he went into this year’s camp, he could come back from an injury and be more productive than he was the year before.

“It was a frustrating time. But it was worth it,” he said. “I am in good shape now. I was able to keep my weight where I needed to be, and I feel like I am in a great place.”

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