South Carolina QB Ryan Hilinski poised to transfer from Gamecocks
South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski stuck out the 2020 season in Columbia after losing the competition for the starting job to grad transfer Collin Hill.
Now he’s put his name in the transfer portal. There are no indications where he might go next.
Hilinski, who started 11 games as a freshman in 2019, threw only six passes this season. The quarterback position was reopened ahead of the Nov. 14 Ole Miss game, but offensive coordinator Mike Bobo ultimately chose Hill again as the starter. The next week, Hill was benched for true freshman Luke Doty.
Hilinski did not play in the final two games, both blowout losses that were well out of reach in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve talked to all of those guys and reached out to all of them and had good conversations with them,” new coach Shame Beamer said in a December radio interview. “Certainly, we want them all back, but all of those guys have to make decisions that are best for them and their families and going forward with what they think is best. We’ll see what happens.”
Hilinski, a pro-style passer, was ranked the No. 64 player in the country when he joined the Gamecocks to much fanfare in the 2019 signing class. He was thrown into action quickly and was up and down in Year 1 as a starter.
He will have four years to play three seasons at his new school.
Hilinski committed to the Gamecocks a few months after quarterback coach Dan Werner joined the staff. A product of California with two older brothers who played quarterback, Hilinski had gone through the suicide of his older brother Tyler, who played at Washington State and whose death sent shockwaves nationally.
“This has been the hardest decision I have had to make in my entire life,” Hilinski posted in a message to social media Wednesday. “It pains me writing this letter knowing what I am leaving behind. It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to enter the transfer portal to fulfill the promise I made to myself and my brother.”
Hilinski was oft personable, appearing regularly at public events, offering counsel to others going through tragedy and helping his family’s foundation, Hilinski’s Hope, an organization aimed at helping raise awareness for student-athlete mental health issues.
On the field, Hilinski started South Carolina’s final 11 games of 2019 after senior starter Jake Bentley broke a bone in his foot on the final play of the opener. Hilinski threw for 2,357 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2019, but was forced to attempt more than 400 passes and only put up 5.8 yards per attempt.
“Thank you for giving my family and I a home when we didn’t know where home was,” Hilinski wrote. “Thank you for the roars in Williams-Brice Stadium. Thank you for the smiles, hugs, handshakes and warm greetings. I will be forever grateful for this state and the life I found after losing my brother.
“Thank you for the silence at the beginning of every third quarter in support of mental health awareness. That silence has helped destigmatize mental health for student athletes all over the world. That silence has prompted so many others to no longer remain silent in their suffering. Thank you for keeping my brother’s name alive by raising three fingers and supporting Hilinski’s Hope.”
Off the field, Hilinski was known for his warm personality and being an oft-seen face around campus. He attended a range of school events, and during the offseason made an impromptu drive across South Carolina with his girlfriend to help tornado victims.
A photo Dec. 6 of Beamer addressing the team for the first time showed Hilinski sitting up front with a notebook in his lap. When the Gamecocks opted out of the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 22, Hilinski posted “We’ll be back” to an Instagram story.
His departure leaves the Gamecocks with only Hill, Doty and incoming freshman Colten Gauthier as scholarship QBs.
South Carolina roster tracker
Not coming back, or likely not coming back
Declared for the NFL Draft
Israel Mukuamu — junior cornerback
Jaycee Horn — junior cornerback
Ernest Jones — junior linebacker
Shi Smith — senior wide receiver
Sadarius Hutcherson — senior offensive lineman
Seniors or juniors who walked on Senior Day
Will Register — tight end
Chandler Farrell — tight end/defensive lineman
Adam Prentice — fullback (Announced he will not return)
Keir Thomas — defensive lineman
Transfers out
Makius Scott — freshman defensive lineman (going to Georgia Tech)
Shilo Sanders — redshirt freshman defensive back (going to Jackson State)
John Dixon — sophomore defensive back (going to Penn State)
Transfer portal
Ryan Hilinski — sophomore quarterback
Jammie Robinson — sophomore defensive back
Could be coming back (12)
Opt-outs (4)
Randrecous Davis — junior wide receiver
OrTre Smith — junior wide receiver
Mark Fox — redshirt freshman offensive lineman
R.J. Roderick — junior defensive back
Seniors who didn’t walk on Senior Day (8)
Collin Hill — quarterback
Jaylan Foster — defensive back
Spencer Eason-Riddle — linebacker
Jabari Ellis — defensive lineman
Aaron Sterling — defensive lineman
Damani Staley — linebacker
Sherrod Greene — linebacker
Nick Muse — tight end (Note: Muse participated in Senior Day activities, but when asked if he planned to return, he said he wasn’t sure and added that if position coach Bobby Bentley returned, he would too.)
Seniors who announced they will return (1)
Parker White — kicker (Walked on senior day)
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 1:26 PM.
