Hines in high demand

Over the last few months Plano (Texas) Plano East 2017 linebacker Anthony Hines III has become one of the hottest prospects in Texas. The Mississippi State Bulldogs were the first to extend an offer and they were rewarded with an October commitment over offers from Montana and Akron.

Since making his pledge his offer list has grown to include the likes of Ole Miss, Arkansas, Clemson, Miami, and Nebraska. Since Tuesday he has added offers from Texas A&M, Arkansas State, and Oklahoma State.

There is no denying it, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound standout is in high demand, with college programs from across the country trying to pry him away from Mississippi State.

"My commitment is still solid currently, but at the same time I'm viewing all my options," Hines said. "But my commitment is still solid."

Hines III feels strong about his commitment to Mississippi State, but he does admit one recent offer did catch his attention.

"No one is really posing a threat to Mississippi State, but really Texas A&M is the only school that has really caught my eye," Hines III said. "There's Mississippi State on the very top and there's a level below that where Texas A&M is and the rest are kind clustered below."

One reason the Aggies caught his attention was linebacker coach Mark Hagen.

"Coach Hagen, the linebacker coach, is a straight shooter and he's straight forward with me," Hines III said. "He told me exactly what he was going to do. He said coach Snyder was going to come over here and watch me and offer me. That's something that is surprisingly rare when they say they're going to offer you as soon as they see you and he did exactly that."

He has only taken a few visits since the end of his sophomore season. Two of those trips have been to College Station.

""I went over there with already huge interest in Texas A&M because I really like the SEC in particular. I have ever since I was little," Hines III said. "I went down to A&M and the first time he wasn't really talking offer because he hadn't quite watched my film. But he knew I was coming down there and later that day he watched my film and called me and said I was a really good prospect and they were planning on offering me in the near future.

"Then the second visit they said they just had to see me in pads moving around in the spring. They came on Monday, coach Snyder, the defensive coordinator, he saw me, and the next day he called my coach and told my coach to put me on the phone and he offered me."

The other visit was to Norman, Okla., to check out the Oklahoma Sooners.

"I was very impressed," Hines said of Oklahoma. "The team was looking really good. I didn't get a chance to talk with coach Kish much, but I talked with coach Stoops some, and mostly I just toured the campus. They were really busy, so I didn't get to talk with them a lot. But I am now in contact with coach Montgomery and they are coming back by to see me this spring, maybe today or early next week."

Next on the schedule is trip to Stillwater, Okla., to visit the Oklahoma State program which just offered him Thursday.

"I first reached out to coach Spencer maybe three weeks ago," Hines III said. "There's speculation that I may have gotten offered on the phone. I'm not sure, because colleges a lot of times don't like to straight up say you're offered. They say weird substitutions so I wasn't too sure about that. But I'm very interested in Oklahoma State. I kind of like the state of Oklahoma because I have family over there and Oklahoma State is definitely a place I'm trying to get to (May 14).

"They definitely did (offer today) because coach Collins told me today they offered me and he was talking to coach Spencer and he said he had offered me earlier."

At the rate Hines is going more offers may arrive in the very near future, and with spring in full swing more and more colleges are getting a look at the standout defender.

"TCU is going to be by today," Hines III said. "They said they had to see me move around and they would offer me. Oklahoma is coming here very soon. Alabama came by yesterday and they said they were highly interested in me. They hadn't seen my film yet, but they'd just heard of me. They came and saw me and said I was bigger and faster than they expected. They're really interested in me and hopefully I can get that one soon too."

Other than his visit to Oklahoma State, Hines may attend Mississippi State's Big Dog camp, but he does not have any other visits or college camps scheduled. Hines III did mention he hoped to attend the Rivals100 Underclassmen Challenge presented by Under Armour in July. He attended the Rivals Camp Series in Dallas and the Underclassmen Challenge in 2013.