Aggies vowing to overcome opt outs of key starters
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M sophomore running back Ainias Smith, rarely at a loss for words, said what others avoided on Monday about a starting linebacker opting out of the upcoming season.
“With Anthony Hines opting out, I was shocked and surprised,” Smith said. “Especially with a week left to a game.”
The No. 10 Aggies host Vanderbilt at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field in a season opener delayed from Sept. 5 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like his fellow Aggies and coach, however, Smith said Hines should not be judged for his decisions, which allows Aaron Hansford to step in as a starter alongside fellow senior Buddy Johnson.
“Some people have things that don’t necessarily pertain to football as the reason why they’re opting out … a lot of things can happen outside the locker room,” Smith said. “It can happen at home. Some things we may not know. … But I have high expectations for (Hines) and know he’s going to do great things outside of football this year.
“Now we just have next man up … and we have a lot of guys who can do that.”
Hines posted to social media that he intends to be active in his community in fighting for social justice, and also that he “lost someone very close to me and my family” to COVID-19 three weeks ago, prompting concern for the overall safety of his family.
Hines joins senior starting receiver Jhamon Ausbon and senior starting cornerback Elijah Blades in opting out of this season, along with defensive back Derrick Tucker and quarterback James Foster, both backups.
The Aggies and the rest of the SEC are playing a 10-game regular season, all within the conference, because of the pandemic. A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said that he would never consider pulling scholarships of players opting out, adding that’s not the way he runs a program.
Hines announced his departure Sunday, six days to the first game, but Fisher said Hines’ presence over a month of camp in earning repetitions didn’t slow the progress of his replacement, Hansford, or other backups, including rising sophomore Andre White.
“The way we practice in camp, everybody gets the same amount of reps,” Fisher said. “They literally get the same amount of reps, if you’re (fourth) or (first). I don’t think that hurts us at all.”
Hines, a former Plano East standout, started all 13 games last season for the Aggies, and was expected to help lead a veteran defense along with Johnson. Hines’ 73 tackles in 2019 were second to Johnson’s 77, and his 10.5 tackles for lost yards were one off the team lead (then-defensive tackle Justin Madubuike with 11.5).
“I was a little surprised,” Johnson said of Hines’ sudden departure, “but mental health is very important, and he knows everyone on the team is 100 percent behind him. I wish the best to him. The good thing about football is it’s not a one-man sport ... coach Fisher always talks about, ‘Don’t just wait to play, prepare to play,’ and guys have been doing a phenomenal job of that.
“We love Anthony Hines and we’re going to miss him, he made a lot of plays for us, but we’ve got a game Saturday we’ve got to get ready for.”
A&M senior quarterback and San Antonio native Kellen Mond has watched two of his closest friends on the team, Ausbon and Hines, decide to sit out what many prognosticators believe is a decent chance for the Aggies to make a run at their first SEC West title. Mond said while he respects his teammates’ decision, it’s not one he’s given consideration.
“It’s never crossed my mind,” Mond said, “and I don’t plan on it.”
Mond is entering his fourth season as starter, and the veteran Aggies return 16 starters in all. Fisher, in addressing the two main opt outs of Ausbon and Hines, said “both guys are outstanding” young men.
“We wish those guys nothing but the best,” Fisher said. “We’d love to have them but at the same time we understand and respect everything they do.”