 Hilinski withSouth Carolina in 2019 | |
| Northwestern Wildcats – No. 3 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  Senior |
| Major | Broadcast Journalism |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (2000-10-24)October 24, 2000 (age 24) Orange, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Orange Lutheran (CA) |
| |
Ryan J. Hilinski (born October 24, 2000) is anAmerican footballquarterback for theNorthwestern Wildcats. He previously played for theSouth Carolina Gamecocks, where he started 11 games in 2019.
Hilinski attended theLutheran High School of Orange County (commonly known as Orange Lutheran High School). As a senior, he played in 11 games and threw for 2,771 yards and 29 touchdowns. While in high school, he participated in the 2018All-American Bowl.[1][2]
Hilinski committed to South Carolina after receiving offers from 30 teams, includingStanford,USC,LSU, andOhio State.[2][3]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Hilinski QB | Orange, CA | Orange Lutheran | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 222 lb (101 kg) | Apr 4, 2018 | |
Star ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings:Scout:2 (pro-style QB) Rivals:3 (pro-style QB) 247Sports:2 (pro-style QB) ESPN:4 (Pocket Passer) | ||||||
Sources:
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Hilinski was named backup quarterback prior to the start of the2019 season.[4] His first game appearance came during the 2019Belk Kickoff Game againstNorth Carolina after then starting quarterbackJake Bentley was injured in the game.[4] Hilinski was named starting quarterback later that day.[5] He made his first starting appearance in the second game of the season, a 72–10 win overCharleston Southern.[6] With Hilinski starting, the Gamecocks would set a school record 775 yards of offense, as well as a school record 493 rushing yards.[6] Next week, Hilinski would start in a home game against theAlabama Crimson Tide, a 47–23 loss, where he would complete more passes againstNick Saban's Crimson Tide than any other freshman quarterback.[7]
Hilinski started 11 games his freshman year, completing 58.1 percent of his passes. He finished with 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.[8]
In September 2020, Hilinski was named the backup quarterback behindCollin Hill.[9] He has appeared in 2 games. On December 30, 2020, Hilinski entered the transfer portal.
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On January 19, 2021, Hilinski announced that he had transferred to Northwestern.[10]
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | |
| South Carolina Gamecocks | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 11 | 11 | 4–7 | 236 | 406 | 58.1 | 2,357 | 5.8 | 11 | 5 | 113.4 | 33 | −55 | −1.7 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 34 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 | 114.3 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Northwestern Wildcats | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 9 | 5 | 2–3 | 95 | 176 | 54.0 | 978 | 5.6 | 3 | 4 | 101.7 | 23 | −67 | −2.9 | 1 |
| 2022 | 8 | 6 | 1–5 | 144 | 258 | 55.8 | 1,644 | 6.4 | 6 | 7 | 111.6 | 20 | −4 | −0.2 | 2 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 4 | 50.0 | 88 | 22.0 | 1 | 0 | 317.3 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 | 12 | 58.3 | 110 | 9.2 | 0 | 1 | 118.7 | 1 | −4 | −4.0 | 0 |
| Career | 36 | 22 | 7–15 | 488 | 862 | 56.6 | 5,211 | 6.0 | 21 | 17 | 111.5 | 80 | −128 | −1.6 | 4 |
Hilinski was born to Mark and Kym Hilinski as the youngest of three children in the family.[11] Ryan's oldest brother, Kelly, played as a quarterback for Notre Dame High School,Columbia University,Riverside City College andWeber State University.[11] His second older brother,Tyler, who was also a quarterback atWashington State, died by suicide following his junior season.
