After a battle throughout the summer, the Gamecocks finally have an answer for the backup quarterback position.
Ryan Hilinski, a freshman from Orange, California, will be the No. 2 quarterback for South Carolina in 2019, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. Hilinski will be behind senior quarterback Jake Bentley, who has been the starter for most of the games since 2016.
Dakereon Joyner, who was also battling for the position, will be the No. 3 quarterback for the Gamecocks going forward. Joyner, according to Kendall, was given the day off from practice on Monday.
After Tuesday's practice, offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon explained the process behind naming Hilinski the No. 2 quarterback, and Joyner the No. 3 quarterback.
"A lot of stuff factored in," McClendon said in a press conference following practice. "We gotta make sure we do a good job of making sure you keep a good eye on every single rep that every guy has taken. I know definitely nothing is final. There's definitely a long season, so you never know, but right now that was the decision that was made.
McClendon also had high praises for Hilinski and how he has prepared for his future at South Carolina.
"Ryan's working hard, and he's doing a good job of what we're asking him to do," McClendon said. "There's still a lot of room that he needs to grow just like everybody else at their perspective positions ... right now he's worked hard and he's earned that spot."
Hilinski, who graduated high school early to enroll at South Carolina in January, was one of the most talented high school football players in the country. Hilinski is a 6-foot-3 inch pro-style quarterback. When he committed to South Carolina on April 4, 2018, he was the No. 2 pro-style quarterback recruit in the country and the No. 12 quarterback in California.
Hilinski will wear No. 3 at South Carolina, a tribute to his brother Tyler Hilinski, who was a quarterback at Washington State University and wore No. 3, but took his own life on Jan. 16, 2018.