He just loves to compete

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Newtown (Penn.) Council Rock North class of 2016 quarterback Brandon McIlwain, who announced a pledge to South Carolina on Wednesday, was quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus' top target from the beginning, and McIlwain's head coach, Adam Collachi, says it's easy to see why.

"The thing is, he just loves to compete," Collachi said. "He's got this innate thing that he's got this will to compete and it carries over to his teammates. He kind of implores them to win as well. It's just one of those things that you can't really teach, it's just something that you have and he certainly has it. He wants to play every play, every snap. He's in my ear wanting to be on the field, even when we're up by three or four touchdowns, he always wants to compete, he always wants to be out there playing. He just has a whole lot of fun with that. That's just something that is kind of contagious. That's an attribute that I think will take him a long way."

The Gamecocks hope he can help take their program a long way too. McIlwain, who chose South Carolina over finalists Auburn, California and Penn State among multiple other major offers, has been compared to the Gamecocks' all-time winningest quarterback Connor Shaw. South Carolina plans to use McIlwain's skillset similarly.

"His arm strength is just phenomenal," Collachi said. "He just makes some throws that you just sit there -- we catch ourselves in practice sometimes, doing 7-on-7s, where you're like 'can you believe he just made that throw' -- and it's just effortless. His technique has improved dramatically. His footwork, his pocket presence has just been outstanding. Watching him grow each year has been remarkable."

For the last three and a half years, South Carolina has had either Shaw or Dylan Thompson at the helm at quarterback. That's established a recent tradition of Carolina quarterbacks who are tireless workers. McIlwain should continue that tradition, according to his coach.

"How hard he works, his dedication to his craft (stands out)," Collachi says of McIlwain. "It's interesting to see a kid as young as he was, to juggle so many pieces, training for football in the offseason as well as being a star on the baseball team, he kind of does it all. For him to juggle all those responsibilities as well as take on a heavy caseload of AP classes and Honors classes. It's impressive how he's able to handle everything and excel at all facets."

With his commitment, McIlwain, who plans to recruit others to join him in Columbia, instantly becomes the face of the Gamecocks' 2016 class. But Collachi believes, with time, he'll be much more than that.

"You're going to see a kid that will never be outworked," Collachi said. "He is a student of the game. He wants to get better. He's more concerned with the mistakes that he's made, versus the good plays he's made, so he focuses more on where he can improve. He's a kid that's going to work hard and be a rock solid player for that program for the next 4-5 years. Every day he's just going to come work hard and try to get better. He's someone that can be the face of a college program."

This past season, McIlwain threw for over 2,000 yards while completing 52 percent, ran for over 1,000 yards and scored 37 total touchdowns.

Interview conducted by GamecockCentral.com's Chris Clark.