Washington State football coach Mike Leach is excited to see what Ryan Hilinkski does on the field for South Carolina.
Ryan’s older brother Tyler was a rising quarterback for Leach at Washington State before he tragically took his own life in January of 2018. That connection has the legendary coach interested in what Tyler’s little brother will do this Saturday against Charleston Southern. (RELATED: College Quarterback Who Killed Himself Had CTE)
“We’re excited for Ryan, I’ve known him for a long time, thought he was a great quarterback. I know the coaches at South Carolina, and they’re really excited to have him, and I know he can throw the ball well, too,” Leach said when discussing Ryan getting his first career start for the Gamecocks, according to The State on Wednesday.
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It’s pretty neat that Leach is still supporting the Hilinski family and keeping an eye on Ryan. The situation with Tyler’s suicide was absolutely horrific.
It’s known now that he had CTE when he took his own life, which makes the situation only that much worse.
Tyler’s death is also another dark reminder you can never really know what some people are going through or what’s happening in their head.
The former WSU gunslinger was a rising star in the college game before he committed suicide. His death rocked the world of college football, and it’s something that we hope to never see again.
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Good for Leach for still being involved on some level with the family of his former player. I really do hope Ryan finds success with South Carolina.
His family has been through a brutal amount of adversity, and it should only make him stronger in the end. We’ll see how he does this Saturday.