Published Jul 6, 2020
Position battle breakdown: quarterback
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Collyn Taylor  •  GamecockScoop
Beat Writer
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@collyntaylor

As Will Muschamp says, no spot is set in stone on the Gamecocks' roster and the coaching staff is always evaluating positions in every meeting, every practice and every game.

That includes the most important position on the field at quarterback.

The Gamecocks were set at the spot entering the last three seasons before Jake Bentley injured his foot, giving way for Ryan Hilinski the starting job.

Now, with Hilinski entering year two, he has some competition breathing down his neck.

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Ryan Hilinski

After starting 11 games last season, Hilinski seems like the presumed starter here at the moment but there is some competition behind him.

Hilinski has a chance to have a superb sophomore season but his freshman year did come with a few struggles as a freshman. Playing banged up down the stretch, he completed 58.1 percent of his passes and averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt but joined Connor Shaw as the only quarterbacks this century to throw for double digit touchdowns, at least 2,300 yards and fewer than five interceptions.

He's healthy now—which will help his starter candidacy—and if he continues to develop and progress he should be the favorite to start the scheduled opener against Coastal Carolina.

Collin Hill

He's probably the darkhorse candidate to take over at quarterback with a few things working to his advantage. Experience is one thing—he's a graduate transfer—and his knowledge of new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's system after playing in it for three seasons at Colorado State.

He is coming off an ACL injury and is working his way back towards being fully healthy. When he is and practices start back up, he'll likely get a fair shot at wining the starter job.

If he doesn't win it, whoever is the starter will get a competent backup that understands the offensive system.

Luke Doty

Doty is the team's quarterback signee for the 2020 class and it might be hard for him to break through this season, but the talent is there.

The Elite 11 quarterback is considered a four-star prospect and the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country coming to school and should make an impact at some point in his career.

There are more seasoned guys ahead of him in Hilinski and Hill, but his talent is enough to get on the field as a freshman if he continues to learn the playbook.

Jay Urich

After spending the majority of last season bouncing around between quarterback and receiver, it looks like he'll spend more time at quarterback as the season gets closer.

He might be behind a few guys but the former three-star prospect can impact the team in a lot of ways. He's been a fixture on special teams and is a tremendous asset on scout team, too.