Tigers' No. 1 punting prospect says "Clemson is college football"

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Apr 22 17:57:58 GMT-04:00 2011

Bradley Pinion Bradley Pinion
Punter / Kicker
6-4, 210
Concord, NC
View Full Profile says he wants to go to a school where the atmosphere is loud and rowdy, and the players on the field take their emotion from the fans in the stands.

The punter and kickoff specialist from Concord (NC) Northwest Cabarrus told TigerNet Friday afternoon that Clemson fits into that category for him.

“I love the atmosphere at Clemson,” Pinion said. “If you have a great atmosphere, and you enjoy where you are, then you want to go to class and you want to train hard for football. You are going to like it while you are there.

“That is what I like best about Clemson. The more the fans get into it, then the more I get into it. I would love to play in front of a fan base that travels really well, and I know that Clemson fans travel. The atmosphere around Clemson has just blown me away. College football is Clemson, I feel like.”

The 6-5, 220-pounder averaged 68 yards per kickoff with a 4.1 second hang time as junior. He says he averaged 38 yards per punt with a 4.3 hang time and hit 7-of-12 field goals with a long of 42 yards and connected on 25-of-26 extra points.

In college, however, he wants to concentrate on punting and kickoff.

“I just want to punt and kickoff in college,” he said. “If schools want me to come in and kick field goals or extra points, then I will obviously do that. But I really just want to concentrate on punting and kicking off. It’s not really hard to specialize in two things, but it’s very hard to do all three.”

Pinion received his first offer last Saturday, from East Carolina, and says he expects offers to come in shortly from North Carolina and Duke.

“I have been talking to my kicking coach, and he says that now the first offer is out of the way, more offers will come in,” he said. “I am hoping that now, Clemson and Georgia might offer.”

Pinion said he is contact with Clemson coaches regularly – he had contact with recruiter Dan Brooks on Tuesday of this week – and they have told him he is number one on their list.

“They have actually told me I am their number one guy,” he said. “They want to see me kick in Clemson, so I am going to be in camp there on the 8th of June. They said if I show them what they want, and I kick well, I will get a scholarship offer. At least that is what they tell me, and I feel like they wouldn’t lie to me.”

He says he has already developed a bond with a current Clemson specialist – Spencer Benton.

“I saw Spencer at one of the junior days, and he said the biggest difference between high school and college is the mental aspect,” he said. “He said it is a faster pace. He said you have to be mentally prepared, and you can't let your outside life affect your football life. Since that time, I’ve gone by that and taken it to heart. He said he would like to see me down there, and he hopes Clemson brings me in. I felt like we really clicked.”

Pinion expects to graduate in December, so he would like to make a decision by the end of the summer.

“I am graduating from high school early, so I am actually looking to make a decision by July,” he said. “That way, I can focus on my senior year and football and have a really great senior year.”