With Collin Hill taking the first step in leaving Colorado State, could a South Carolina reunion be in the cards?
First things first, though. On his personal Twitter account Thursday, Hill announced that, "[a]fter much prayer & thought I have decided to leave CSU.” The redshirt junior will be leaving the Rams as a graduate transfer, making him eligible at another FBS school in 2020.
Thank you Ram nation! pic.twitter.com/ZWxxn1vZtu
— Collin Hill (@collinhill15) December 19, 2019
The quarterback added in the tweet that he will finish his football eligibility elsewhere. Already, speculation is that elsewhere could very well be South Carolina.
The head coach at Colorado State for five seasons, Mike Bobo was fired earlier this month. Less than a week later, Bobo was hired as the offensive coordinator of... the Gamecocks. Bobo will also serve as USC’s quarterbacks coach.
Adding to the plot, three-year starter Jake Bentley transferred from USC shortly after the regular season ended. He ultimately landed at Utah.
The reason for Bentley’s departure, though, could keep Hill from a reunion. Ryan Hilinski Wally Pipp’d Bentley as a true freshman and, after undergoing surgery this month, will be the presumptive QB1 heading into the offseason.
Hill’s addition would come with its own injury risk for South Carolina or any other FBS program.
In October of 2016, Hill suffered a torn ACL playing football for the Rams. In March of 2018, Hill suffered a torn ACL while playing a game of pickup basketball. Then, in mid-September this year, Hill sustained a third torn ACL. Obviously, he was lost for the remainder of the season.
Prior to this season, Collins had started eight games for the Rams. In 2019, he had started all three games prior to the injury, setting a career-high with 374 yards passing in the opener and following that up with 367 yards in just over two quarters of work against FCS Western Illinois.
Given the injury issues, it’s possible Hill could petition for and receive a sixth season of eligibility. That would then give him two years that he could use beginning in 2020.
