5-Star LB Anthony Hines will make his commitment on Dec. 2.
With 90 offers to his credit, the recruiting process has been a chore for 5-star linebacker Anthony Hines in terms of cutting his list down to a select few.
The lucky six schools who have made the final cut for Hines include Florida, Penn State, Ohio State, TCU, Texas A&M and UCLA.
Hines announced via Twitter that he will make his commitment on Dec. 2.
COMMITTING ON FRIDAY DEC. 2ND @ PESH 12:00 PM !!! BE THERE !!!(Edit by @Hayesfawcett3 ) pic.twitter.com/NLXPzX29B8
— Anthony Hines III (@TheAntHines_Era) November 21, 2016
According to Taylor Hamm of 247Sports, Hines will be an early enrollee for whichever program he chooses to attend.
Hines has racked up more than 600 tackles, with 96 tackles for losses and 27 sacks in his four years at Plano East High School in Texas, according to MaxPreps.
Furthermore, as Bleacher Report’s Damon Sayles noted, the 6’3″, 226-pound Hines has put up eye-popping numbers in the weight room while also running the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds.
He’s made official visits to all of his finalists with the exception of TCU. However, the nation’s top inside linebacker and the No. 19 player overall in the 2017 cycle was in Fort Worth last weekend for an unofficial visit.
Had a great time at TCU today !!! #GoFrogs ☔️?☔️ pic.twitter.com/VyAienaKEX
— Anthony Hines III (@TheAntHines_Era) November 20, 2016
The competition to land Hines will be fierce, but which program holds the upper hand heading into the final days until he makes his announcement?
There are a few reasons why Texas A&M is the school that appears to have the most momentum with Hines at this stage of his recruitment.
For starters, Hines has made multiple visits to Texas A&M’s campus during his recruitment.
He has an established bond with the coaching staff and College Station is roughly around three hours away from his hometown of Plano.
As he told Ryan Bartow of 247Sports [via Hamm], he felt very comfortable on campus during his official visit back in September.
“Awesome, awesome experience,” Hines told Bartow. “I have a great relationship with the entire coaching staff and I just love the environment.”
Additionally, there appears to be a path for Hines to find the field early should he selected the Aggies.
According to Ourlads, the Aggies will lose two seniors after the season with the other four linebackers heading into their junior year next fall and occupying spots in their two-deep scheme.
As Hamm noted, Ohio State and UCLA appear to be the stiffest competition for Hines.
However, the distance from home could be a stumbling block for both the Buckeyes and the Bruins in luring Hines away from the Lone Star State.
Regardless, Hines has the instincts and physicality to be the perfect fit in the middle of Aggies defensive coordinator John Chavis’s 4-3 scheme.
Factoring in his measurables, prep production and the fact that he will go through spring practice, Hines has the ability to be an instant impact player early in his career.
If the Aggies can close the deal with Hines, head coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff will land a potential difference-maker that could be a cornerstone of their defense over the next four years.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com.
