South Carolina football: the Luke Doty era has officially begun

Luke Doty is the future of South Carolina football.

This past weekend, former South Carolina starting signal caller Ryan Hilinski officially announced his plan to leave football program. In a message to the Gamecock fanbase, the California native thanked his supporters for giving him “a home when [he] didn’t know where home was.” He went on to express his gratitude to the coaching staff and teammates that made his stay in Columbia enjoyable, despite having the weight of his brother’s passing on his shoulders.

https://twitter.com/ryan_hilinski/status/1344358102708219905

Hilinski was a fan favorite at South Carolina, and showed promise after freshman season where he threw for 2,357 yards. For one reason or another, things didn’t work out this year, as he found himself third on the depth chart, receiving just a few snaps in a couple of blowouts. Hilinski’s next destination is still unknown, but he will surely have an impact at his next stop.

For the Gamecocks, this means a couple of things. First, the team loses a young leader in the locker room, and depth at the quarterback position. But the departure also allows the new staff to focus on the future, and build an offensive scheme around the new face of the program, Luke Doty.

Doty started the final two games of the 2020 season, throwing for 405 yards and a couple of scores. He gave fans a glimpse of what could be in his first game versus Missouri, where he nearly led the Gamecocks back from a 17-0 halftime deficit, and had folks reminiscing about South Carolina great Connor Shaw.

Obviously, he’s got a ways to go before he comes close to Shaw’s legacy in Columbia, but his escapability and athleticism have most believing that he has a bright future in a Gamecock uniform.

So what do fans need to know about their new signal caller, and what should they expect in 2021?