Marshall Guard Chasen Hines Wins Offensive Most Valuable Player At ETSN.fm + APEC Football Recruiting Combine

TYLER -- Chasen Hines didn't have a lot to prove at Sunday's combine in Tyler. At least to the general public.

The rising senior Marshall guard had already accepted a college football scholarship opportunity from LSU, which he called his dream school in a commitment statement. Participating in the ETSN.fm + APEC Football Recruiting Combine powered by Azalea Orthopedics was more of a personal mission.

And it was a successful mission.

Hines left the Accelerated Performance Enhancement Center with the combine's Offensive Most Valuable Player plaque and several congratulatory messages from his future coaches at LSU in tow.

"It really caught me off guard," the guard said. "I thought I could compete for Offensive Line MVP, but you kind of get overlooked beyond that as a lineman. It was nice to stand out and raise eyebrows."

Marshall's lineman was identifiable upon arrival. He checked in at 6-foot-3 and 352 pounds, and he used that frame to a threaten a combine record.

Hines posted a Keiser squat output of 3,870 watts, a broad jump of 89 inches and a vertical jump of 29 1/2 inches before a strong showing in one-on-one drills against the combine's field of defensive linemen.

"He demonstrated power, and not only in the weight room," APEC founder and director Bobby Stroupe said. "His power squat number was on the level of some of our professional athletes, which is a good sign. A lot of kids at the high school level have good base levels of strength that don't convert well. Then he went further to show that power on the field in the 'Ring of Fire' drill.

"When he gets his hands on you and gets you moving, it's over. That's a good sign of a solid offensive lineman."

East Texas usually produces a handful of high-level offensive lineman, but the rising senior and junior classes seem far deeper than the normal crop in these spring months.

Five other linemen at the combine, including Marshall left tackle Kameron King, held at least one offer from the NCAA Division I FBS level.

"We were weak in numbers, but the guys that we had today brought it and they loved to compete," Hines said. "I loved being around those guys."

Since Hines is committed, the combine may have been his only stop on the offseason circuit of football events. He has the full summer to get ready to play for first-year Marshall coach Claude Mathis.

Mathis joined the Mavericks after two seasons as SMU's running backs coach. Prior to SMU, he led the a nationally recognized DeSoto High School program for seven seasons and reached the Class 6A Division I state semifinal level twice in the span.

The new coach made it a point to speak to Hines just minutes after his introductory press conference in March.

"The mindset so far is that we're being overlooked," Hines said. "We have a new head coach to get behind, and that's a good motivation. We're all excited and learning what it takes to get what we need to get."