USC commit Ryan Hilinski’s plan when he gets to Columbia: Play early, very early
South Carolina football commit Ryan Hilinski could walk into a favorable situation when he arrives in Columbia in January.
If current Gamecocks starting quarterback Jake Bentley is still around, Hilinski expects to redshirt and then work his way into the lineup in 2020. If Bentley takes his shot at the NFL after his junior season, Hilinski enters a possibly wide-open competition.
And he likes his odds to stand out.
“I’m going to have early playing time, which is going to be a big factor,” Hilinski said. “Coach (Dan) Werner and coach (Will) Muschamp have expressed that to me. When I get there it’s going to be … a preferable situation for me to be in when starting in the SEC as a true freshman or a redshirt freshman depending on what Jake does. But I’m excited to be a part of that family.”
Bentley has started ever since his redshirt was torn of halfway through 2016, a season that was supposed to be his senior year in high school before he enrolled early. He led USC to a 4-3 finish and bowl game that season, and then nine wins last year.
His 2018 offense appears stocked with playmakers, and a big campaign could perhaps send him on to the NFL.
The rest of Hilinski’s competition will be the likes of Jay Urich and Dakereon Joyner. Both move well and can make plays on the ground, but both have a ways to go in terms of their passing. (They were a combined 4-of-17 with a pair of interceptions and three sacks in the spring game.)
Hilinski is the most “pro-style” of the trio, and threw for 3,749 yards and 33 touchdowns (69.8 completion percent) as a high school junior last season. He is an Elite 11 finalist and more in the mold of a classic passer at 6-foot-4, 222 pounds.
He’s the team’s first commit under quarterbacks coach Dan Werner, though USC offered before he was on board. The Gamecocks are also going to a more up-tempo, run-pass option-based attack under new coordinator Bryan McClendon.
USC and Muschamp played two true freshmen in Year 1 (Bentley and the now-departed Brandon McIlwain), and haven’t been shy about playing young guys at many spots.
Hilinski said there will be a lot of preparation to reach that goal, including adding weight to survive the rigors of being an SEC player. To that end, he’s got sights set on the best of the top conference when he comes aboard.
“I know we play Bama next year, 2019,” Hilinski said. “So if Jake’s gone, I’ve got the job, it’s going to be fun. I categorize it as pressure and opportunity. If I go in there as a true freshman, people are saying, ‘Oh, he’s got a lot of pressure on him.’ It’s the opportunity to prove I’m the best as a true freshman and I’m here to compete and I’m here to be the best there is.”