Younger brother of Washington State’s Tyler Hilinski earns scholarship offer from Cougars

PULLMAN – Mike Leach and Washington State are pursing another quarterback with the last name Hilinski.

Ryan Hilinski, the younger brother of current Washington State backup Tyler Hilinski, announced Monday afternoon he’d received a scholarship offer from the Cougars.

Ryan is currently a junior at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California.

Ryan Hilinski is a three-star prospect according to Scout.com and has already received offers from a number of suitors, including South Carolina, Boston College, Northwestern, San Jose State, Fresno State and Montana State.

Hilinski is the leading passer in Orange County after three weeks with 1,642 yards. He’s thrown 12 touchdowns and is completing his passes at a 73 percent clip. During a recent game against Vista Murrieta, he passed for a school-record 538 yards and had four touchdowns, leading the Lancers to a 40-20 win.

Ryan hadn’t been offered by WSU last Monday when he was interviewed for a story about his older brother, but said he would certainly entertain the idea of playing for the Cougars – especially after watching Tyler lead them back from a 21-point deficit two weeks ago against Boise State.

“I’ve talked to coach (Dave) Nichol, who’s my area recruiting coordinator,” he said. “Coach Leach is the guy that makes those decisions on who to offer. So we’re just waiting it out. But definitely, Washington State is obviously up there for me especially since Tyler’s there and especially since last night.”

Ryan, who transferred to Orange Lutheran from JSerra Catholic after his freshman season, is the youngest of the three Hilinski brothers. Tyler played at both Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Upland High before signing with WSU. Kelly, the oldest, played prep football at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame before inking with Columbia. He played one season there before transferring to Riverside City College and then to Weber State.