South Carolina football: looking at all the quarterback options
By Jacob Elsey
Could Ryan Hilinski return to lead the South Carolina football team?
Ryan Hilinski entered last year as the team’s No. 2 option, losing out to Collin Hill in the offseason competition leading up to opener. Hill, who was brought in by new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, won the job, in part, to his knowledge of the playbook. Hill had been in Bobo’s system for four years, which gave him an immediate leg up in the quarterback race. The two were said to be neck and neck when it came to on the field performance.
For whatever reason, that close competition didn’t translate into the regular season, as Bobo refused to replace Hill for his perceived No. 2 option, despite Hill’s constant struggles in the passing game, and lackluster results in the win column.
Hilinski announced his intention to transfer in late December, after it was made known that Bobo would be returning to Columbia for the 2021 season. But just two days after signing his new contract, Bobo bolted for Auburn.
With Bobo out of the picture, Hilinski, who’s yet to announce a new destination, still has the option to return to the South Carolina roster. And new head coach Shane Beamer has been in contact with the signal caller.
"“We’ve exchanged some text messages since Coach Bobo left. And, you know, I’ll leave it at that. So, Ryan and I had a great conversation. I was back in Oklahoma when he called me to tell me that he was entering the portal, and we’ve communicated by text a couple times over the last week.”"
With Bobo, and his apparent bias for Hill, out of Columbia, Hilinski could return to build upon a 2019 season that saw him start 10 games.
In that ’19 campaign, the California native threw for 2,357 yards and 11 scores. He only made two appearances in ’20, completing 4-of-6 passes for 34 yards.
If Shane Beamer can convince Hilinski to return for the ’21 season, the South Carolina quarterback competition heats up in an instant.