Last Wednesday Clemson began spring practice, with one of the nation’s top linebackers in the next recruiting cycle in attendance.
Andrew Hines, a 2024 LB out of Woodward Academy in Atlanta was in town for an unofficial visit. Hines is not only one of the top players at his position di lui in the 2024 class, but he’s also arguably one of the top 100 players in the country, and attending an actual practice was one of the highlights of the visit.
“It was a good practice to me,” Hines told All Clemson. “The team was energetic, the coaches were energetic, they were all focused and ready to work. It just shows how committed the guys are to the program.”
Hines’ father accompanied him on the visit, and he came away equally impressed, most notably by how high the graduation rate is for athletes at the school.
“He was impressed,” Hines said. “Especially at the fact that their job acceptance rate for the athletes was over 99%. He was also impressed by the intensity of the practice and how the linebackers move. We were both impressed.”
This was not Hines first trip to Clemson. Last summer, he attended one of Dabo Swinney’s high school camps, and he’s also hoping to get back for another visit this spring, possibly for the Tigers’ spring game on April 9.
Right now, though, Hines is working on building a relationship with new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Wes Goodwin, and the blue-chip talent feels as it’s gotten off to a great start.
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“It’s going great right now,” the linebacker said. “We talk every week or two. Coach Goodwin was actually the first one that started talking to me when I got there. He actually came to me right before coach Swinney started the first meeting, and he kind of kept coming back to us. Like sometimes during practice, before practice, after practice, he kept checking up on us. “
Since last summer, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound prospect has developed into one of the most sought-after linebackers in the 2024 recruiting class, and while he currently has 22 offers, there are a handful of schools recruiting him the hardest .
“UCF, West Virginia,” Hines said. “Clemson has been recruiting me hard even though they haven’t offered me yet. Notre Dame has been recruiting me pretty hard even though they haven’t offered yet. South Carolina has too, and Tennessee.”
Clemson generally doesn’t offer players until the summer before their senior seasons, but Hines said an offer from the Tigers would absolutely stand out.
“It would mean a lot,” he said. “I really liked what I saw when I went down there, enjoyed the school. Yeah, it would mean a lot.”
While it’s still pretty early in the process, Hines already has a pretty good idea of what it is he is looking for in a school, and while football will be one of the priorities, so is academics.
“A school that gives you a chance to do well in academics,” Hines said. “A school that has a good football team. That the coaches treat the players well, that the players are taken care of well. That the players are graduating cuz football doesn’t last forever. That’s not the only thing. So education and athletics . “
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