Luke Doty is the future of South Carolina football.
Last weekend, Ryan Hilinski, a former South Carolina player, officially announced his plan to leave the football program. In a message to the Gamecock fan base, the California native thanked his supporters for giving him “a home when [he] I didn’t know where his home was. ”He went on to express his gratitude to the coaching staff and teammates who made his stay in Columbia pleasant, despite the weight of his brother’s passing on his shoulders.
Hilinski was a fan favorite in South Carolina and showed promise after the freshman season, where he shot for 2,357 yards. For one reason or another, things didn’t work out this year, as he found himself third in the depth table, receiving just a few clicks on some explosions. Hilinski’s next destination is still unknown, but he will certainly have an impact on his next stop.
For Gamecocks, that means a few things. First, the team loses a young leader in the locker room and the depth in the position of defender. But the exit also allows the new team to focus on the future and build an offensive scheme around the new face of the program, Luke Doty.
Doty started the final two games of the 2020 season, shooting for 405 yards and some scores. He gave fans a glimpse of what it might be like in his first game against Missouri, where he almost took the Gamecocks back from a 17-0 deficit at halftime, and made people reminisce about the great South Carolina Connor Shaw .
Obviously, he has a long way to go before getting close to Shaw’s legacy in Columbia, but his breakout and athleticism make him believe he has a bright future in a Gamecock uniform.
So, what do fans need to know about their new signal caller and what should they expect in 2021?