STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As the college football season begins winding down, many of the nation’s premier gridiron talents have begun announcing their intent to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Among those hopefuls with big-league dreams is Wagner College running back and Staten Island native Andre Hines Jr., who just concluded his NCAA tenure with the Seahawks.

Hines, who hails from the borough’s Park Hill neighborhood, attended perennial PSAL powerhouse Erasmus Hall and finished his time there ranked as the No. 4 player in the state, then shipped up to Boston College before ultimately finding his way to Wagner to close out his collegiate career.

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“It would mean a lot, man,” Hines Jr. told the Advance/SILive.com when asked how finding his way onto an NFL roster would make him feel.

“The journey that I took — being at B.C. for four years, not really playing that much until my senior year of college, then coming to Wagner, getting hurt my first year here, missing the first five games, and having the breakout season I had — just means a lot. It shows that I persevered through it all, and not everybody’s story is the same; everybody has their own journey,” he continued.

Hines’ first experience with football began well before high school, cultivating a love for the game through his participation with the Staten Island Hurricanes, a local youth football program he credits with cementing his passion for the sport.

“It’s a great travel football organization that competes all the way in Florida, playing against the best of the best. Getting your name out there as a kid helps with high school recruitment, which in turn can lead to college opportunities. Establishing myself within the football community — not just on Staten Island, but across the five boroughs — and competing in Florida is what helped me get to where I am today.”

He then began his high school career at St. Peter’s before transferring to E-Hall, where Hines built a name for himself as a power back to be reckoned with, refining his hard-nosed style through fierce PSAL competition — a stage he believes allowed him to play against some of the most well-rounded talents in the city.

“Playing in the PSAL, you play the top guys. But what really helped was being on that Erasmus Hall team — you’ve got Division I guys all over the place, and it’s gritty. That helped me become the competitor I am today, getting it out of the mud, traveling from Staten Island to Brooklyn every day. It meant something different for me. It had to mean more for me if I wanted to take it as far as I wanted.”

Although he may not have seen much of the ball at Boston College after his E-Hall days, Hines’ homecoming proved to be a major success, as the borough’s own finished top five in the NEC in rushing yards in 2025 (809) while helping to lead the Seahawks to their best record in nearly a decade — a season that he said “helped me propel myself into a big stage. I know what I’m capable of doing and know that I could take it even farther.”

Hines also viewed his tenure at the Grymes Hill school as a “full-circle moment,” sharing that “making the decision to play for Wagner after hitting the transfer portal wasn’t hard at all because everything just felt like family.”

“The reason why Wagner became a big thing was because of Quincy Barnes, who used to play on the Staten Island Hurricanes, coached at Wagner, alongside coach Jim Munson who I had always admired. Also being from Park Hill, which isn’t too far away from Wagner, it meant so much to me to try to be a hometown hero,” he went on.

As for what Hines hopes NFL teams will see in him, he said he models his running style after two all-time great backs, adding that his presence off the field is just as important.

“I’m a great locker room guy,” Hines said.

“I think I can connect with everyone, building relationships with the janitor to the head coach — everybody knows me and knows I’m a great guy. As for my play style, I’m the next big back. I like to compare myself as a mix of Derrick Henry and Eric Dickerson — there aren’t many like us in the league, and no one can match my size and speed,” he went on.

Hines also noted that in preparation for pursuing his dreams, he has spoken with NFL talents from the borough, like Los Angeles Chargers RB and Tottenville alum Gus Edwards, hoping that one day he can mentor young Islanders playing locally with the same aspirations.

“I would tell them like I’ve been telling all the kids on recruiting visits that you’re capable of making your own story,” Hines shared.

“Don’t go to a bigger school and get lost, become just another name on the depth chart. You can come here, grind, and make a name for yourself because you’re from Staten Island. It feels good to have the next generation look up to you, and that’s something I’ve enjoyed helping with at Wagner,” he concluded.

With the draft set for April 23–25 next year, making an NFL roster would be the ultimate accomplishment and another step in a storybook career for Hines. Either way, the local product has made his hometown proud, serving as a model for young players to look up to.