USC wide receiver Tanook Hines is stepping into a bigger role, and he’s doing it with a message that came straight from two of the program’s newest NFL receivers.
As Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane move on to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, Hines is one of the players expected to help carry the wideout room forward in 2025 after a 34-catch debut season. The sophomore said the best guidance he got from them was simple and direct.
"The advice they gave was be yourself and let your energy be contagious. Because it's going to spread around," Hines said. "Plus always put the team first."
That advice has already started to shape the way he approaches the room, especially with a wave of freshmen arriving. USC added four-star receivers Ethan "Boobie" Feaster and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, and Hines said he already feels like one of the older voices in the group.
"Definitely. It's now just like all the stuff I messed up on, I can now tell and teach them, then they become ahead of this stuff way more than me," Hines said.
He’s not just teaching, either. He’s paying close attention to what the newcomers can do. Hines was on the sideline when Feaster hauled in a Randy Moss-like jump ball for a touchdown over Peyton Dyer during a late July practice, and he’s convinced the room has a lot more coming.
"Their future is going to be bright," Hines said. "Every single day, they come out there and show me the unique talents that I've never seen before. The whole receiver room just compliments each other."
Feaster looks like he may be pushing for a spot in the two-deep, while Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley arrive with reputations sharpened by the Trinity League after playing at Mater Dei High of Santa Ana and Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic. Hines said he’s taking that leadership responsibility seriously, including the kind of vocal role that comes with it.
“I'm definitely out there screaming every day," Hines said.
The offseason work wasn’t just about leadership, though. Hines said he made a point of diving deeper into film before fall camp.
"I focused on film. I became big on film," Hines said.
One area he’s been studying closely is how defensive backs line up in man coverage and how to read a defense before the snap.
"Just seeing how a defensive back lines up against man and breaking down their whole defense. So when I'm out there, it becomes second nature," Hines said.
That extra work, along with the daily competition in USC’s receiver room and battles against Iowa State cornerback transfer Jontez Williams, has Hines feeling sharper. He said he and Williams have each taken their share of wins in those one-on-one reps, and he believes the back-and-forth is helping prepare him for what comes next.
For Hines, though, the bigger point is the one Lemon and Lane left behind: keep the energy high, keep the team first, and let it all spread through the room.
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