The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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126 ■ THE WOLFPACKER players to do both sports. He said it's the main thing that pushed him to stay near home when other football programs came calling. Many weren't as eager to share his talents with another sport. "Running track was a big part of my deci- sion to come to NC State," explained Hines, who was rated as the No. 2 all-purpose back and No. 94 overall player in the country by Rivals.com despite being listed at just 5-8 and 178 pounds. "It allowed me to keep running with my sister. It allowed us to both stay close to home. "It made more and more sense for me to come to NC State." Doeren said he was all for Hines playing both sports — as long as he took care of business in the classroom, in the team meet- ing rooms and in the weight room. "I'm not going to say it's easy on him or us," Doeren said. "But if you are ma- ture, take care of your academics and can be a contributor on both teams, then it is something we can consider. It's an upfront conversation in recruiting. The only way it will work is if you keep up with the things you are responsible for. "When our season was over, Nyheim came to us and said: 'Coach, I think I'm ready.' We brought together their strength staff and ours, and our staff, and worked out a schedule." Hines said he struggled a little academi- cally in the fall, after a good first summer session. But he managed to pull his grade point average up over 3.3 in business in- formation technology through the spring semester. "I don't know how I survived that first full semester," Hines said with a smile. "There was a week I had three tests, a paper to write and we were playing Clemson. I thought I was going to have a mental breakdown. "I've learned a lot in the last year about time management, balancing and keeping my life together." And now he's looking to improve on his impressive debut in both sports. During track season he managed to bulk up and be faster. He looks to be an important part of new offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz's no-huddle spread attack. He worked primarily at running back dur- ing spring practice, but if last year is any indication, he could end up anywhere on the field. "Our offense isn't completely new, but it is a little different," Doeren noted. "What we need from Nyheim this year is to be a playmaker again, whether that is from the backfield, from the slot, as one of our jets or in the return game. "Sometimes a freshman will come in and be a little nervous. The learning curve is a little overwhelming, but if you have some immediate success, you say: 'I can do this.' That's where Nyheim is right now, with his success in football and in track. We hope he will be a playmaker for us this fall." ■ Hines ran a 10.42 100 meters in the finals of the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships to place fifth in the event. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS "Nyheim has been very blessed with ability. The cool thing about him is that he has taken advantage of every gift he has been given. He's a tremendous worker in everything he does." ■ Football coach Dave Doeren on Hines Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker. You may contact him at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.