Wide Receiver Tanook Hines Is Now "Very High" On Notre Dame After Strong Visit

Notre Dame made a great impression on dynamic wide receiver Tanook Hines

When you talk about Notre Dame 2025 wide receiver recruiting, Houston (Texas) Delaney star pass catcher Tanook Hines isn’t talked about nearly enough. For the first time on Saturday, Hines traveled to South Bend to check out the campus and spring practice. 

Hines was originally offered by the Irish back in December, but there hasn’t seemed to have been much momentum with him up until now. That all changed on Saturday when the dynamic Texas athlete made his first trip to campus.

"The visit was everything,” Hines told Irish Breakdown. "Seeing the stadium, the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus were probably my favorite things besides the people. They will definitely play a role in my final decision. After today, they are very high on my list.”

A big reason for the movement with Notre Dame is the coaching staff, several of which made Hines feel right at home. The day started out with some nerves, and was soon replaced with comfort and joy. 

"I loved the coaches,” said Hines. "I was nervous that I wasn’t going to fit in at first but as soon as I walked through the doors everyone made me feel like home."

Impressing Hines was a group effort with the Notre Dame staff.

"The conversations were all great,” Hines continued. "Coach (Marty) Biagi, Coach (Mike) Denbrock and Coach (Mike) Brown were all awesome. I love those guys. I even got to spend some time with Coach (Deland) McCullough and I really like Coach (Marcus) Freeman. We have similar backgrounds. It made me feel really comfortable.” 

As a player, Denbrock was really able to sell the fit for Hines. He has coached an impressive group of pass catchers in his coaching career, and he sees a similar skill set with the Texas standout. 

"With Coach Denbrock’s offense, I feel I can produce,” he stated. "He thinks I can be as productive as Will Fuller when he coached him, or even like Malik Nabers or Brian Thomas he had last year.”

Once an afterthought in wide receiver recruiting, Notre Dame made a huge move with Hines this weekend. With only one to two spots available, it will be interesting to see where things go from here. 

Despite playing in only six games as a junior, Hines was still able to haul in 35 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns for Dekaney. As a sophomore, Hines racked up 867 yards and eight touchdowns on 50 catches. The 6-0, 170-pound pass catcher also recorded an interception and four forced fumbles in limited opportunities defensively. 

Both 247Sports and Rivals have Hines rated as a four-star recruit. He also earned a 4.0-star grade on the Irish Breakdown board.

Hines has been garnering the interest of some big time programs on the recruiting side. He currently holds offers from the Irish, Alabama, Michigan, Texas, LSU, USC, Oklahoma, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Arizona State, South Carolina, Arkansas, TCU, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Washington State, Texas Tech, Baylor, SMU, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Indiana and Houston among several others. 

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