It’s technically a battle, but Gamecocks QB competition seems nothing but cordial
Whether you call it a QB battle or just a competition, the derby to be the South Carolina football team’s starting signal caller is in it’s full stretch to the finish.
Despite young incumbent starter Ryan Hilinski and seasoned veteran newcomer Collin Hill going after the same spot only one of them can hold, the atmosphere isn’t a fiery one. Both quarterbacks describe it as pretty cordial.
“We’re doing devotions in the quarterback room,” Hilinski said. “And then on the field, you know, I’m helping him with footwork or he’s helping me with certain stuff. Right now, it’s back and forth.”
Hill, now entering Year 5 as a college player, is stepping onto a new roster as a grad transfer from Colorado State. He couldn’t even watch an abbreviated practice in the spring as he recovered from a torn ACL.
“We actually have a really good relationship,” Hill said. “Been really welcoming ever since I showed up in January and I think that relationship has continue to grow. We’ve got a great quarterback room. Everybody gets along well, helping each other out.”
Hilinski mentioned getting coffee with fellow QB Jay Urich some mornings, talking about life and how to keep their minds in a good place while holding down a high-pressure position.
That particular position always presents challenges in the fact there is almost no rotation and players are expected to simultaneously fight and claw for the job but also share a room and bolster each other.
Hilinski is coming off a season with highs and lows as a true freshman starter. He flashed against Alabama and in an upset of Georgia, but the hits also piled up and his final numbers weren’t all that efficient. (A knee issue and banged-up receiver group didn’t help.)
But his on-field ups and downs pale, to a degree, to Hill’s. The veteran from the Upstate tore his ACL three times, twice after taking starting jobs and once during an offseason. He was with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo through a solid start and sour finish of that Colorado State tenure and has now moved two-thirds of the way across the country.
In the USC competition, Hill knows the offense better after running it for four seasons, while Hilinski knows his receivers better. Hilinski was an Elite 11 passer out of high school, but Gamecocks players and coaches have oft commented on his “NFL arm.” Neither is much of a runner, as Hill joked Friday when comparing both of them to freshman Luke Doty.
To this point, they’ve mostly split camp reps close to evenly.
Neither Hill nor Hilinski knew when the competition might come to a close, though soon after the final camp scrimmage on Sept. 12 wouldn’t be a bad bet, if history is any indication. That’s when Hilinski was given the backup QB job ahead of Dakereon Joyner last season.
The Gamecocks were set to hold a scrimmage Saturday night.
“We’re gonna get through the scrimmage (Saturday) night at 7:30 p.m.,” Bobo said. “And then we’ll meet on Sunday to discuss things and if we’re ready, we’ll announce something. If we’re not, you know, we might go another week.”
Hill has been through his share of QB derbies under Bobo. As a true freshman he took the starting job from veteran Nick Stevens, but a knee injury ended that experiment after a month. As a third-year sophomore, Hill lost out to grad transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels, but eventually took the job after the team faltered. Then last year, Hill won the job outright for the Rams, but hurt his knee in the third game.
So this rhythm is a familiar one, working under Bobo, and it’s given him an even-keeled perspective.
“As a freshman, my head was spinning,” Hill said. “I didn’t really know what was going on. I just was trying to keep my head above water. ... I don’t control how many reps I get, who I’m going with. And so I just have to control what I can control. And so like I said, I’m just gonna prepare and then whenever my number is called, whenever it may be. I’m gonna be ready to go and just make the most of it.”
Gamecocks’ 2020 football schedule
Sept. 26: home vs. Tennessee, 7:30 pm (SEC Network)
Oct. 3: at Florida, noon (ESPN)
Oct. 10: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 17: home vs. Auburn
Oct. 24: at LSU
Oct. 31: OPEN
Nov. 7: home vs. Texas A&M, 7:30 pm (ESPN or SEC Network)
Nov. 14: at Ole Miss
Nov. 21: home vs. Missouri
Nov. 28: home vs. Georgia
Dec. 5: at Kentucky
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 1:00 PM.
