Troy University Athletics
Senior Spotlight: John Hines
10/13/2020 3:58:00 PM | Football
This story originally appeared in GAMEDAY - Troy's Official Gameday Program
John Hines' journey to becoming a Trojan left with him a lasting life lesson – stay humble.
The Montgomery, Ala., native was slated to suit up for a DI program before taking the junior college option to get his academics under wrap.
"I had signed with Western Kentucky out of high school," Hines said. "I ended up not having the grades, so I took the junior college route."
Hines took to Southwest Mississippi Community College to grow as both a player and a person.
During his freshman campaign, Hines recorded more than 50 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was looking forward to another season with the Bears before suffering an injury causing him to miss all but one game of his sophomore year.
"You have to stay humble. All (junior college) players are there for different reasons. I feel like the reason that I was there was to focus more on my grades and my education."
Hines admits that going directly into a four-year program is not for everyone.
"I feel like if I came here out of high school that I probably wouldn't have been ready, so junior college was the better route for me, anyway. Junior college woke me up."
Hines came to Troy with three years of eligibility. Coming off an injury, Hines utilized his first year in Troy to get ready and learn what he had to do to make an impact on the field.
"I watched the guys in front of me to see what I needed to do to get onto the field. After that, I started to take it more seriously. I followed in the footsteps of the guys that showed me the way. Now, it is time to step up."
The defensive end saw action in all 12 games a year ago and was tabbed a starter for his last year in a Trojan uniform.
As an older guy on the field, Hines understands that he can use the adversity he experienced throughout his journey to help the underclassmen.
"I feel like the younger guys are looking up to me because I'm the oldest guy in the room. They know my story and the things that I struggled through. I need to be a more of a 'lead by example' for those guys. That's my role, now."
John Hines' journey to becoming a Trojan left with him a lasting life lesson – stay humble.
The Montgomery, Ala., native was slated to suit up for a DI program before taking the junior college option to get his academics under wrap.
"I had signed with Western Kentucky out of high school," Hines said. "I ended up not having the grades, so I took the junior college route."
Hines took to Southwest Mississippi Community College to grow as both a player and a person.
During his freshman campaign, Hines recorded more than 50 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was looking forward to another season with the Bears before suffering an injury causing him to miss all but one game of his sophomore year.
"You have to stay humble. All (junior college) players are there for different reasons. I feel like the reason that I was there was to focus more on my grades and my education."
Hines admits that going directly into a four-year program is not for everyone.
"I feel like if I came here out of high school that I probably wouldn't have been ready, so junior college was the better route for me, anyway. Junior college woke me up."
Hines came to Troy with three years of eligibility. Coming off an injury, Hines utilized his first year in Troy to get ready and learn what he had to do to make an impact on the field.
"I watched the guys in front of me to see what I needed to do to get onto the field. After that, I started to take it more seriously. I followed in the footsteps of the guys that showed me the way. Now, it is time to step up."
The defensive end saw action in all 12 games a year ago and was tabbed a starter for his last year in a Trojan uniform.
As an older guy on the field, Hines understands that he can use the adversity he experienced throughout his journey to help the underclassmen.
"I feel like the younger guys are looking up to me because I'm the oldest guy in the room. They know my story and the things that I struggled through. I need to be a more of a 'lead by example' for those guys. That's my role, now."
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