First-team Miami linebacker Michael Pinckney gets hamstring checked at hospital

Michael Pinckney, UM's freshman first-team weak-side linebacker out of Jacksonville Raines High, went to the hospital Tuesday to get his ailing hamstring examined, a source close to the situation told the Miami Herald.

The source said before Pinckney was examined that UM expected Pinckney to be OK and to finish preseason camp. The doctor's visit was for "precautionary reasons,'' the source said, and the freshman returned for the second practice session, closed to the media, Tuesday afternoon. As with the morning session, he rode an exercise bike.  

No word on his injury status.

Tuesday was Miami's first two-a-day during preseason camp.

Pinckney is one of UM's gifted freshman backers that arrived at school early in January and include first-team middle linebacker Shaq Quarterman and strong-side linebacker Zach McCloud.

Coach Mark Richt, who had a previous engagement and was unable to speak with reporters after practice Tuesday, told us Friday that Pinckney had a quad/hamstring injury and indicated he didn't think it was serious.

Pinckney, 6-1 and 220 pounds, was a consensus three-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals, 247 Sports and Scout. 247Sports had him as the 19th-best inside linebacker in the nation. He chose UM over offers from Arkansas, Florida, Louisville, LSU, Nebraska and South Carolina, among others, according to UM.

At Raines, Pinckney had 85 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, eight sacks and one interception last season.

 Here's what UM defensive coordinator Manny Diaz told the Herald about Pinckney before preseason camp began:

“We really like what Pinckney did this spring. He’s a guy that embraces the mentality of playing downhill and [of] fast, aggressive linebackers. Will (weak-side) linebacker is an important spot in our defense so we’ll let Darrion Owens and Pinckney battle it out during fall camp.”

Note that the 6-3, 245-pound Owens, a redshirt sophomore out of Orange Park Oakleaf High, sustained a season-ending knee injury the second week of the 2015 season and is back practicing for the first time in camp.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN