Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. Late last week, 2020 four-star defensive tackle Clyde Pinder made the decision to end his time at North Carolina. Since that time he has received interest from numerous Power Five programs.
Recruiting: Pinder was focusing his process on North Carolina, Pittsburgh, UCF and Arizona State when he committed to the Tar Heels in late June. He then took a December official visit to Florida, but stuck with the Tar Heels on Signing Day.
At North Carolina: Pinder played in seven games during his true freshman season in 2020, totaling six tackles and one sack. This fall he played in every game, but only recorded one tackle.
Potential landing spots: Interest has been plentiful for Pinder in the early stages of his process, with West Virginia, Tennessee, Louisville, Florida and Oregon being four of the more active Power Five programs. Also, USF is making a strong push to keep him close to home.
Farrell’s Take: Pinder was a huge get for UNC out of Florida as it came down to the Heels and Gators and was a sign that recruiting was taking turn for North Carolina. Any big man is going to be popular in the portal and Pinder is no different. It wouldn't surprise me to see him land back in Florida and he's certainly a Power Five talent with a ton of upside. He has the ability to chase from the DT position.
Impact Meter: 8.5 out of 10
IMPACT METER
The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.
1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.
4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.
6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.
9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.
10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.