South Carolina senior quarterback Jake Bentley is out with a reported foot injury, setting up true freshman Ryan Hilinski to start this week.
Bentley appeared to suffer the injury on a game-ending sack as the Gamecocks fell 24-20 to North Carolina on Saturday. He has been South Carolina’s starter since midway through the 2016 season, having passed for 7,527 yards and 55 touchdowns.
Hilinski, from Orange, Calif., was rated the No. 2 pro-style quarterback recruit in the nation in the 247Sports composite. He won the backup job in fall camp. He is the younger brother of Tyler Hilinski, the former Washington State quarterback who committed suicide last January at age 21.
“Ryan is extremely bright, extremely intelligent,” coach Will Muschamp told reporters Sunday. “He works hard at it, as far as the film work and different things are concerned. … He’s prepared himself the right way the entire time, so I’ve been very pleased with that.”
The FOX affiliate in Columbia, S.C., reported the Bentley is expected to be out at least six weeks. Muschamp is scheduled to hold his regular weekly press conference on Tuesday in advance of Saturday’s home game against Charleston Southern.
