South Carolina QB Collin Hill has a big fan on the Clemson roster
Clemson offensive lineman Jordan McFadden spent a rare Saturday off watching football games from around the country.
The game that stuck out most to McFadden was South Carolina-Tennessee, but it wasn’t because the Gamecocks — Clemson’s rival — suffered a season-opening loss.
Instead, McFadden enjoyed that game because it featured high school teammate Collin Hill making his first start at quarterback for USC. McFadden and Hill were teammates at Dorman High School in Roebuck when McFadden was a sophomore and Hill was a senior.
Hill originally signed with Colorado State as a three-star recruit for the class of 2016 before transferring to South Carolina this offseason. McFadden signed with Clemson as a three-star recruit for the class of 2018.
“I was really excited to watch that game because he’s a good friend of mine,” said McFadden, whose Tigers had an early open week on the schedule. “I would say that game probably stuck out the most. I’m excited for him because of everything he’s been through, tearing his ACL three times. So I was excited to watch him play.”
Hill played well in his Gamecocks debut, passing for 290 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The interception came on a tipped pass.
The start was Hill’s first since last September when he tore his left ACL during a game against Arkansas. Hill also suffered torn ACLs in 2016 and 2018.
“Collin is just a great guy, no matter whether it’s on the field, off the field,” McFadden said. “I remember he was a senior, I was a sophomore. That was my first year starting on varsity. Collin was just pushing me to continue to get better, continue to learn, continue to grow and get stronger. He’s the perfect example of a leader. He wants his guys to be the best that they can be. He tries to push everyone. I know he was that way at Colorado State. He was that way in high school, and I’m pretty sure he’s that way at South Carolina.”
McFadden hasn’t yet reached out to Hill following Saturday’s loss to the Volunteers, but he plans to this week.
“Knowing all he’s been through throughout his college experience I’m super excited to see him finally get the opportunity that he deserves,” McFadden said.
South Carolina travels to face Florida this Saturday. Clemson hosts Virginia.
Hill and McFadden would have played in the same game later this year for the first time since 2015 if not for the coronavirus. But due to COVID-19, the South Carolina-Clemson matchup will not take place in 2020.
The SEC is playing a conference-only schedule, meaning McFadden will only see Hill playing on TV this fall.
“I’m gonna miss playing them,” McFadden said. “But as we know, with everything going on, I feel like they made the best decision they thought was right. So there’s really nothing I can do at this point but go with it.”
