How freshman Luke Doty has earned the respect of the Gamecocks’ older QBs
While Ryan Hilinski and Collin Hill continue to battle it out for South Carolina football’s starting quarterback spot, the guy presumed to be third on the depth chart seemingly refuses to be buried on the bench.
Luke Doty, the freshman dual-threat QB who came to the Gamecocks as a four-star Elite 11 passer from Myrtle Beach High School, has been all over the field for USC during preseason camp, taking reps at quarterback, wide receiver and even gunner on special teams.
Adjusting to life as a freshman quarterback learning a new system is one thing. Adding significant reps at wide receiver is another. Throwing more work on top of that has earned Doty the respect of the two men ahead of him at the QB position.
“Luke is definitely a special guy. He has a lot on his plate, and he is literally taking all of it and running with it,” Hilinski said. “He’s doing a tremendous job learning the playbook and playing quarterback and playing wide receiver. One time he goes in at quarterback, and then going into the next huddle as a receiver. And he just doesn’t get tired, and he just keeps working no matter what.”
Doty’s physical gifts — coach Will Muschamp has called him one of the fastest players on the team — allow him to do things both Hill and Hilinski simply can’t, Hill said.
“Such a good dude, great athlete. Can definitely do a lot of different things, but I think he’s done well at both positions. I think when he’s playing quarterback, he’s definitely made some plays. He definitely has a different skill set than me and Ryan. I think he might be a little more athletic. Just a little bit,” Hill said with a smile to reporters on Friday.
Beyond that, Hill said, Doty has flashed the football IQ needed to perform well in his various roles. And at wide receiver, he’s been “savvy,” using his knowledge as a quarterback to read defenses.
“A lot of time goes into the study of, especially a quarterback, but playing two positions, that’s definitely gonna — that takes a toll on you for sure,” Hill said. “But Luke does a great job. He’s definitely a high-capacity guy. He can can handle a lot of information, a lot of different things, he’s athletic enough to do multiple things. And so I think he’s handled it well.”
And in a quarterback room that’s featured a mostly cordial battle for reps and the starting spot, Doty has also ingratiated himself with a good attitude and personality, the older QBs said.
“I remember, I hosted him on an official visit here and I remember taking him out to my lake house, hanging out with him there, having a good time with him,” Hilinski said. “It was just really cool to see and bond with him on a personal level outside of football, to see what kind of guy he was, of course. And then of course, you see him on the field being a hard worker doing everything that’s asked of him. So he’s a guy that we like having around here and is always positive. I haven’t heard a negative thing come out of his mouth yet, so it’s really really cool to see that.”
