Anthony Hines III Chooses Texas A&M; 5-Star LB Expected to Boost Aggies' Defense

Going into the late hours of Thursday, as many football fans in Texas were watching the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings battle on television, Anthony Hines III sat at home, contemplating.

A decision regarding his college football future, as he had advertised nearly two weeks ago, was to be made early Friday afternoon. And as time continued to tick, the decision became tougher and tougher.

Hines woke up Friday morning still without a rock-solid idea of what he wanted to do. But following a subtle clearing of the throat around 12:15 p.m. CT, the coveted, 5-star inside linebacker from Plano, Texas officially ended a recruiting process that included 90 offers, multiple trips to college campuses and hours of conversing with college coaches hoping he would pick their school.

"Gig 'em," Hines said, as he verbally committed to Texas A&M in front of family, friends and peers at Plano East Senior High School. Hines chose Texas A&M over offers from TCU, UCLA, Ohio State, Penn State and Florida.

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#GigEm hats are on for @TheAntHines_Era and @D1Dad19.#Aggies pic.twitter.com/9BguKmRTzo

— Damon Sayles (@DamonSayles) December 2, 2016"

Hines told Bleacher Report that he didn't know where he wanted to go until around 10 a.m. Friday. The smile on his face following his commitment replaced the mixed look of confusion and anxiety the day before.

"It really wasn't that bad until maybe the last 24 hours," said Anthony Hines, his father. "He's had the in-home visits, and Texas A&M was probably a clear-cut favorite until last week."

"It was tough," the new commit added. "I mean, I really was having a hard time with it. But I chose Texas A&M because I love the coaching staff and what they can do for me."

The good news for the Aggies is that the coaching staff was able to hold off powerful surges from both TCU and UCLA. Credit head coach Kevin Sumlin and defensive coordinator John Chavis and head coach Kevin Sumlin for their diligence in landing the nation's top-ranked inside linebacker, a 6'3", 225-pound tackling machine who finished his high school career with nearly 650 tackles.

An Under Armour All-American, Hines had 245 tackles as a senior, according to MaxPreps. Of those 245, 138 were solo tackles. For any school looking for a linebacker with a nose to the football—which is any of the 90 schools that made an offer, and then some—he is a quality fit.

And for Texas A&M, Hines will be a major addition to a program looking to beef up its linebacker roster. He has good size and great speed for a player of his stature. Perhaps most attractive to the Texas A&M coaches is Hines' football IQ as he's comfortable at the inside and outside linebacker positions.

Credit: Student Sports

Last month, Hines told Bleacher Report that his winning program would check off all his desires, athletically, academically and socially. He took his official visit to Texas A&M on Sept. 2 and gave the school high marks. An in-home visit with the coaching staff last week helped make the decision.

"Besides having a strong feeling of family and close-knit relationships, I'm looking for a place where I can see myself succeeding in the classroom and socially," he said. "There has to be a vision there. It's like they say: A decision is not four years, but 40 years. I have to see myself a part of that vision."

Hines' father said Texas A&M, TCU and UCLA were the final three schools, and every school had been considered strongly throughout the past week. TCU was Texas A&M's toughest competition.

"He really did his job researching everything," Hines' father said. "He really interviewed the coaches and put them on a whiteboard to see how they do things. All three schools had everything he wanted. I mean, you've got three really good defensive coordinators.

"We all thought he couldn't go wrong with his decision."

Hines is the 24th commitment of the Aggies' 2017 class. He will join athletes on the defensive side of the ball like safety Derrick Tucker and fellow linebacker Santino Marchiol and practice against offensive studs like quarterback Kellen Mond and wide receivers Jhamon Ausbon and Hezekiah Jones.

Look for Hines to be a leader early in his career. And look for him to play as someone ready to prove to his critics that his 90 offers weren't a fluke.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles