Football

Northwestern has its newest quarterback. For the third straight year, the Wildcats have dipped into the transfer portal in search of a starter at the position. This time, it’s Ryan Hilinski, who on Tuesday announced he’d be joining Northwestern from the University of South Carolina, where he spent the last two seasons.

I couldn’t be more excited and grateful for this opportunity. Go Cats! 💜 pic.twitter.com/OX1g0CNzEK

— Ryan Hilinski (@ryan_hilinski) January 19, 2021

Hilinski appeared in just two games at South Carolina last year after losing the battle for starter. He showed flashes of promise as a freshman, starting 11 games and passing for 2,357 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. 

Hilinski immediately becomes the likely starter at NU. He is set to replace former Indiana transfer Peyton Ramsey, who last year helped lead the Cats to a historic 7-2 record along with a victory in the Citrus Bowl over Auburn. 

He’ll take over an offense that looks decidedly different from last season’s iteration. Senior wideouts RamaudChiaokhiao-Bowman and Riley Lees both left the Cats after the season in pursuit of NFL opportunities. Running backs Isaiah Bowser and Drake Anderson each departed via the transfer portal.So did the versatile Kyric McGowan. 

The former four-star recruit was the 64th ranked player in the country when he signed on to join South Carolina in 2019, and has three remaining seasons of eligibility to spend at Northwestern. 

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Twitter: @gsvirnovskiy

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