South Carolina football: 3 questions at the quarterback position
By Jacob Elsey
2. WHAT WILL THE DEPTH CHART LOOK LIKE?
There seems to be an easy and difficult answer to this question.
The easy: Ryan Hilinski returns as the incumbent starter, and Doty, Hill, and Urich provide quality depth behind the sophomore as he builds on successes of last season. I think this is the outcome that most Gamecock fans would opt for, as Hilinski is seen as a highly touted talent that the offense can hope to build around for the next three years.
The difficult answer is a little more in depth. Though he showed flashes against teams like Alabama and Georgia, Hilinski also struggled versus opponents like Missouri and Appalachian State. The inconsistency can be attributed to being thrown into the ring as a freshman in college football’s toughest conference, but for South Carolina, the schedule may not ease up much in 2020.
What happens should Hilinski struggle next year?
Collin Hill comes in as the most experienced signal caller on the team, having played in 18 games. He was off to the best start of his career in 2019, averaging 371 yds/game before going down with a season-ending injury in game three against Arkansas. If healthy, he’s an option to start, but will he get back to 100% by fall?
Luke Doty could also be an option, after coming in as a heavily recruited passer in the latest class. But do the Gamecocks want to throw yet another freshman into the fire after seeing the 4-8 results from a season ago?
And, finally, you have Jay Urich, who’s coming back to the quarterback room after spending last year with the wide receivers. He will likely be the 3rd/4th option in 2020.
Again, the answer that Gamecock fans hope for is that Hilinski comes in, shows progress in a new system, and has quality depth behind him, but there are definitely questions that still need to be answered.