South Carolina football: Offensive position battles to watch during fall camp

QB

Ryan Hilinski returns after starting the final 11 games of the South Carolina season in 2019. Thrown into the fire as a true freshman, he now can use that experience to build upon a solid first-year performance. The gunslinger threw for 2,357 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie, finishing seventh in the league in passing.

Hilinski showed some flashes last year, leading the Gamecock offense in an upset win over Georgia and throwing for 324 yards against Alabama. He’ll need to improve his consistency, though, and show that he’s picked up Mike Bobo’s new offensive playbook if he hopes to earn his starting spot for a second straight season.

Redshirt junior Collin Hill will be battling it out with Hilinski, and he should have one advantage over the young signal caller. Hill has been in Bobo’s offense for four years now, after following the coordinator to Columbia from Colorado State.

Hill, too, has been productive when he’s on the field. In 18 career appearances, the Dorman High grad has tallied 3,323 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was off to the best start of his career in 2019 throwing for 840 yards over his first three games before going down with a season-ending ACL tear in a game against Arkansas. It was the third knee injury of Hill’s career.

Hill has gotten the ‘OK’ to begin live practice after sitting out the spring. Should he prove to be back to 100%, it could be an interesting fall. Will Muschamp is on record saying that there will be an “open competition” at the position. We’ll have to wait and see who wins it.