Former Wake Forest wide receiver Tabari Hines will join Oregon as a graduate transfer for the 2018 season, he announced Monday.
Hines picked the Ducks over USC and Texas. Last season, he tied for the team lead at Wake Forest with 53 receptions and ranked third in both receiving yards (683) and receiving touchdowns (7). The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Hines is set to graduate from Wake Forest in June and will join Oregon in early July.
Hines told ESPN that the relationships he built with new Ducks coach Mario Cristobal and quarterback Justin Herbert helped push him toward Oregon. He also praised Oregon's wide receivers for welcoming him rather than treating him as a threat to their playing time.
"The quarterback, he's a great player, he reached out to me and just told me the situation and how important I'd be to the offense and how I can stretch the offense out," Hines said. "The coaches expressed the same thing, how I would be used. The offense really runs through the slot receiver, the position I'll go in to play. But I won't be one-dimensional. I'll play on the outside. The special teams coordinator wants me to be a punt returner and kick returner.
"It just made perfect sense."
Other than Dillon Mitchell, who had 517 receiving yards in 2017, Oregon returns little production at wide receiver. Hines said his decision ultimately came down to Oregon and USC, but Oregon's quarterback situation and location -- away from potential distractions -- made the difference.
Despite starting six games at Wake Forest in 2017, including each of the final four contests, Hines chose to leave the program, saying his relationships with the coaching staff had deteriorated.
"When I was younger, I liked the idea of staying close to home," said Hines, a native of Florence, South Carolina. "As I got older, I realized it's time to make a business decision."