South Carolina football head coach Will Muschamp picked up his first quarterback commitment of the 2019 class from Ryan Hilinski, a California native, on Wednesday. Hilinski is a four star recruit ranked 308th in the nation, but he was invited to the Elite 11 finals, a competition for the top quarterback recruits in the country.
Hilinski threw for 3,749 yards, 33 touchdowns and six interceptions in his junior year at Orange Lutheran in Orange, California. He will join senior defensive back Keisean Nixon as the only other player on the roster from California.
However, there is more to Hilinski’s story than his top quarterback talent. On January 16, Hilinski’s brother, Tyler, took his own life in Pullman, Washington. Tyler was a quarterback at Washington State and was projected to start for the Cougars this upcoming year after posting an impressive performance in last year’s Holiday Bowl.
Hilinski has used Tyler as an inspiration ever since his death. The Hilinski family was in Hawaii this week to spread Tyler’s ashes and say their final goodbyes.
Hilinski's oldest brother advised him to give his decision more time, but Hilinski said in a tweet that he "had a great talk with Ty" and knew he was ready to announce his college commitment.
Hilinski said he decided to commit to South Carolina because he liked how Muschamp made it a priority to visit him in California. He also felt like he had developed an early connection with strength coach Jeff Dillman. Hilinski was in Columbia a few days earlier to attend the Gamecocks’ spring game and got the chance to see the pace the offense has been working with under new offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon, which is a pace he is used to.
Hilinski announced his commitment on Wednesday on Twitter, where saying he is “110 percent” committed to the Gamecocks. He has officially closed his recruitment and will not take any more visits.
Hilinski will attend the Elite 11 finals this summer, then he will finish his senior year at Orange Lutheran. He has not made a decision as to whether or not he will early enroll. Hilinski's commitment has moved South Carolina’s recruiting class up to sixth in the nation and fourth in the SEC.