How Ryan Hilinski impressed coaches and teammates ahead of first career start
At one point in Ryan Hilinski’s plans, he was aiming to start this weekend’s game for the South Carolina football team.
He’ll get that chance, but not in the way he, or anyone else, intended.
In that plan more than a year ago, South Carolina would have a strong 2018 season, Bentley would ride off to the NFL and Hilinski would beat the field for the job to replace him. Instead, a foot injury will sideline Bentley for between six weeks and the whole season.
So it’s Hilinski’s job, and he has the backing of his teammates.
“He’s a good guy, great guy,” said Dakereon Joyner, the player Hilinski beat for the No. 2 job. “I think he’s a very smart kid. And I have all my confidence in him. I know he’ll get the job done.”
In getting the start against Charleston Southern, Hilinski becomes at least the seventh true freshman passer to hold a starting job. Other schools such as Auburn, Boise State, North Carolina and Southern Cal have first-year signal callers, including a few from Hilinski’s Elite 11 class.
When told he was in line for the job, Hilinski had a short answer for his coach Will Muschamp: “Let’s go.”
“Ryan does a really good job.” Muschamp said. “He’s not a very vocal guy. But he has a certain air about him as far as that position is concerned. And you gotta have that to be at that position, in my opinion. So again, Ryan will be fine. Our players have a lot of confidence in Ryan, and we do as a staff as well.”
The plan is to stick to the parts of the playbook Hilinski is most comfortable with. That’s not to say it will be limited, as teammates and coaches have praised his intelligence, but it will angle more toward his strengths.
Veteran center Donell Stanley said he trusts Hilinski, with the idea, “We brought him up here for a reason, to play.” Tailback Rico Dowdle said there’s no doubt he knows the offense. Defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum sees the arm talent that’s there.
Cornerback Israel Mukuamu has gone against Hilinski in practice and saw a fire of sorts.
“He’s just a competitor,” Mukuamu said. “I mean, he wants to win so coach put him in the best position to play. That’s what we’re gonna go with.”
Hilinski will be only the fourth true freshman to start a game since at least the early 2000s. Lorenzo Nunez started a few games in 2015. Brandon McIlwain started three in 2016, and then Bentley took over and has held the job since. Hilinski’s route to Columbia wasn’t the most traditional. A Southern California native, he committed to the Gamecocks a few months after his brother Tyler’s suicide, an event that made waves nationally and shaped much of his outlook.
Ryan Hilinski stuck with his commitment through offers from Ohio State, Stanford and LSU. He came through a challenging senior season, and when he moved to Columbia, his parents and brother made the move as well, not wanting to be apart after everything they’d gone through.
The season before he made his pledge to the Gamecocks, the threw for more than 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. His numbers dipped the next year, as his receiving corps and offensive line were battered by injury, but at the time he said there were lessons in adversity.
Then he spent months battling for the backup job behind Bentley, which he won at the end of August camp. At the time, the line was he was one play away from playing.
Now that one play has happened.
“I got all the confidence in the world,” Mushcamp said. “He’s going to do an outstanding job. He’s prepared himself for this opportunity. Man down, man up. And that’s our mentality.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
