Gamecocks QB target Ryan Hilinski recaps visit

South Carolina became the first SEC program to offer Orange (Calif.) Lutheran class of 2019 three-star quarterback Ryan Hilinski last September.

The 6-foot-3, 203-pounder, who already had offers from Boston College, San Jose State and Fresno State, has seen his recruitment take off in the months since with offers rolling in from schools like Arizona State, Georgia, Mississippi, Oregon and Washington State, to name a few.

Hilinski is in the process of a multi-school trip that included a stop at South Carolina on Friday, his first opportunity to see the school.

"The family portion is just crazy, because they're as real as it's going to get," Hilinski said. "They said they're not going to change and I believe that. Right when I sign that paper, if I go there, they're going to be the same people they were today.

"I like the vision they have for the future. They've got this new athletics center that's going to be built in with the weight room and move all that stuff from the stadium to there and then move all the recruiting stuff to the stadium. I think it's going to be great for the future.

"I also went to lunch with Jake Bentley, Coach (Will) Muschamp, Coach (Bryan) McClendon, Marcus Lattimore, all those guys decided to tag along, and that was just fun. They just made it feel like home, for sure."

Then-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper originally offered Hilinski for the Gamecocks. Friday's visit allowed the opportunity for him to get to know new quarterbacks coach Dan Werner, who recently re-offered him.

"He's got that pedigree of guys who have been successful at every level you can think of," Hilinksi said. "His message was that the offense that they're going to run is similar to mine in high school and it fits me perfectly. Coach Muschamp even said he watched my film the other day and he was like, 'Man, this is the quickest release I've seen in a while, you fit our offense perfectly, we love how you command the offense.' Coach Werner definitely made me feel like I would be one of his guys and coming from Ole Miss I think that offense is great."

Werner and new offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon went through the details of how Hilinski would fit into their offense if he chose Carolina and he plans a return trip to the school to go over further details.

The trip, which also featured a tour of the campus and a photoshoot, concluded with a meeting with Muschamp.

"I think he's a great guy," Hilinski said. "Being that he's this guy that's been everywhere, everybody knows the name 'Muschamp,' but it's great to see how down-to-earth of a guy he is. He was telling us he's got a sixth grader, he's got a 10th grader at Hammond and he's not leaving any time soon, and I could tell behind his eyes that that was real. It just seems to me that he's a great guy and he's a family guy and that's a big deal to me and my family."

Hilinksi has also visited Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia on his trip and will see Duke Saturday before heading home.

He also hopes to visit Oregon and Boise State at some point.

He soon plans to sit down with his family and make a list of pros and cons and whittle his list of offers down to five schools to focus on.

Hilinski plans to make a decision prior to his senior season.

Ranked the No. 11 pro-style quarterback in his class by Rivals, Hilinski completed 296 of 405 passes for 3,767 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior.