High times for Hines: Former Tarblooder adding power, speed to Buckeyes secondary
by Doug Lesmerises Wednesday September 24, 2008, 10:16 PM
COLUMBUS -- The screen pass that banged off Ohio State defensive back Jermale Hines after he jumped a route near the goal line Saturday -- that was no coincidence. Sure, he wished he would have grabbed the interception for a touchdown.
"I knew I had the pick," the sophomore said. "I dropped it. I faked outside and went inside and the ball was right there."
He'll have other chances, because Hines always finds himself around the ball. In his first year at a new position since moving from linebacker, the Glenville grad has blown away his coaches with rare football instincts while establishing himself as the ideal antidote to the spread offense.
"I'm not sure I've seen a guy who can go line up and play a position and probably didn't get coached," Jim Tressel said. "He's just got natural instincts and an understanding of the game of football."
At 6-foot-2 and nearly 220 pounds, safeties coach Paul Haynes sees linebacker size and safety speed in Hines, an combination that makes recruiters drool. That's why he has seized the "star" position for the Buckeyes, the role as the fifth defensive back that takes the field on passing downs. As Tressel exhorts a veteran team to play faster, Hines has stood out as a example of ferocious, yet intelligent, intensity.
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