South Carolina quarterback commit Ryan Hilinski (Orange, Calif/Orange Lutheran) has to wait a year before he can compete with his future Gamecocks teammates. In the meantime he is focused on building what he wants to be the best recruiting class in Gamecocks history. To do so, he is helping his future head coach, Will Muschamp, recruit against some of the best recruiters in the country.

“I want to have the best class that has ever been through South Carolina and put them at the top of the map,” Hilinski said as a guest on the SoCal Recruiting Stories Podcast that aired over Memorial Day Weekend. “I’m very excited about that.”

Ever since committing to the Gamecocks on April 4 and becoming Carolina’s 2019 class’ top-ranked player, Hilinski has been in the ears and Twitter mentions of top Gamecocks targets like five-star defensive end Zacch Pickens (Anderson, S.C./ T L Hanna), five-star running back Quavaris Crouch (Charlotte, N.C./ Harding University), four-star cornerback Chris Steele (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco), four-star safety Jaylen McCollough (Powder Spring, Ga./Hillgrove), and others.

Pickens joined the fold on Friday, May 26, a defensive target Muschamp has been personally recruiting since he became Carolina’s head coach three years ago. Hilinski purposely scheduled his official visit on the same weekend as Pickens' unofficial visit in late April. The pass rusher has now surpassed Hilinski as the Gamecocks’ top-rated commit, a class that is now 12-deep and up to No. 7 in the latest 247Sports Team Rankings.

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Hilinski added what goals he wants to accomplish in a Gamecocks uniform with the group of players he plans to enroll with.

“There is a lot of good [goals] when it comes to football and South Carolina,” Hilinski said. “I think the biggest thing for me is to be a winning quarterback at South Carolina. I know all the individual goals will come. If you’re going to win games you have to be throwing for yards, throwing touchdowns. I definitely want to get there and win an SEC Championship, which would be Coach Muschamp’s first (as a head coach), and a national championship.”

Leading people and movements is nothing new to the rising senior in high school. Not only is he the leader of his Orange Lutheran football team, but he also helps his family run Hilinski’s Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization intended to help promote awareness and education of mental health and wellness, started after his older brother, Tyler, recently took his own life. Hilinski wants to attain those stated goals while bringing that leadership to Columbia.

“I think the biggest thing they are getting is a leader. It’s a big thing I pride myself in, being a leader for my team, my family, students on campus,” Hilinski said. “I’m a young man of Christ and a football player. I can do whatever you need me to do in whatever situation as long as we’re doing it the right way. I’m really excited to bring that aspect to South Carolina.”

247Sports Composite ranks Hilinski as the No. 165 overall recruit and the sixth-best at his position. The four-star quarterback is an Elite 11 Finalist and will play in the Under Armour All-American game before enrolling at South Carolina in January.