It was 10-days ago that offensive line prospect Andrew Hine had actually committed to the Army Black Knights’ coaching staff. However, the 6-foot-4, 270 pounder had a legitimate reason why he wanted to hold off announcing his please, which he expressed to GoBlackKnights.com on April 13th.
“We (Army coaching staff) did have a commitment conversation,” said Hine. “I did commit on Friday after the Spring Game, but I’m not announcing my commitment until April 23rd because I have one more visit I have to take. I had already locked that that visit in and Coach (Mike) Viti and Coach (Jeff) Monken completely understood that and respected my timeline.”
“I actually had four more visits planned, but I canceled three of them NDSU, South Dakota, and Air Force,” he went on to explain in the 4/13 with GBK. “The one that I am still taking is Wyoming. Coach Tripodi was one of the first coaches that recruited me and I feel I owe it to him to him since I had told him the day before I committed that I was definitely coming out. I’m a man of my word.”
The Moment (4/23) - In His Own Words
Needless to say we were ecstatic to hear the news back on 4/13 and equally as excited today to share with the Army fanbase on the decision by Hine.
So here we are at the schedule due date.
We did have a commitment conversation,” explained the prospect who is out of Waukee Senior High School in Waukee (IA). “I did commit on Friday after the Spring Game, but I’m not announcing my commitment until April 23rd, because I have one more visit I have to take. I had already locked that that visit in and Coach Viti and Coach Monken completely understood that and respected my timeline.”
“I told Coach Viti after the Spring Game,” explained the prospect who is out of Waukee Senior High School in Waukee (IA). “I had been feeling that this was it all day during the presentations and the tours. During the dinner, before the game, I told my mom that this was it. I was ready to tell the coaches I wanted to commit. After the game we found Coach Viti and he talked to me about why he wanted me there and I knew even more that this is what I wanted. He asked me if I had any questions and I said, no but I did want to tell him that I want to play football here. He asked me if that was a commitment? I said yes. He got so excited. It was exactly the reaction you hope for when you dream about committing.”
“He said he wanted to start screaming, but he knows I’m a humble kid so he didn’t want to do that. We then found Coach Monken and told him and his reaction was awesome to. He told me Welcome to the Long Gray Line. We found Coach (Seth) Hestness, my recruiter and he hugged me and whooped. All the coaches were awesome and welcomed me. I’m so excited to join this Brotherhood.”
The M.O.B. Reputation
There are a few notables that are attached to Army football, such as the program’s Brotherhood, high powered rushing offense, aggressive defense, but also their always impactful offensive line (M.O.B.).
According to Hine, that is one of the measuring sticks that lead him to say yes to the Black Knights.
“Coach Viti and I talked about that,” Hine declared. “He said that I’m a great player, but I’m also a great person and leader which is what he is looking for in his O-Line. They didn’t win the Joe Moore Award because they had 5 individuals playing 5 individual positions. That award is the only award in college football that has a group aspect, so to me it is the best award and not just because it’s the O-Line award. Everything I do is to make my team better. I think that my philosophy about life and football is perfect for Army. That is why I decided that this is the place for me.”
On Campus Visit Perspective
“One of the things that stood out to me was the weight room,” explained Hine relative to first time visit to West Point. “I got to go in Thursday and see the lift and it was amazing. Army’s lifts are legendary and it far exceeded my expectation. Second was the campus. The history that is around every corner was humbling. You really can’t understand it until you are there yourself. I am honored that I am going to be able to call it my home soon.”
Hine’s 2024 Junior Football Season
“My team went 6-4 last year and lost in the first round of the State playoffs,” shared Hine, currently holds a 3.8 GPA and who was named 1st Team All-District and 2nd Team All-State.
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