PULLMAN – Ryan Hilinski is expected to make his first start at quarterback for South Carolina this Saturday, taking the place of injured No. 1 Jake Bentley when the Gamecocks play FCS opponent Charleston Southern.

Hilinski will naturally have throngs of supporters in the Palmetto State, and more in his native California, but there will also be plenty of college football fans in the Pacific Northwest and greater Palouse area keeping tabs on how the younger brother of former Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski fares in his college debut.

Almost a year ago, Ryan Hilinski, older brother Kelly and parents Mark and Kym were in Pullman to celebrate and remember Tyler, who ended his life months earlier in an off-campus apartment. The Hilinski family led a hike through Kamiak Butte park in the afternoon, then raised the WSU flag prior to the Cougars’ Sept. 8 game against San Jose State.

Ryan was a four-star ESPN recruit who played his high school ball at California’s Orange Lutheran and collected a handful of Power Five offers – including one from WSU – before committing to South Carolina.

“We’re excited for Ryan, I’ve known him for a long time, thought he was a great quarterback,” WSU coach Mike Leach said Monday. “I know the coaches at South Carolina and they’re real excited to have him, and I know he can throw the ball well, too.”

Mark and Kym Hilinski moved to South Carolina to be closer to their son when Ryan committed to the Gamecocks and Kelly, a med school student, has also moved to the Columbia, S.C., area.