South Carolina freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski has drawn mostly high marks this season as he was thrust into the starting role following the injury to Jake Bentley in the first week of the season.

This week, Hilinski gets another tough test at Georgia after he’s already faced Alabama at home and Missouri on the road before his first SEC win came at home against Kentucky. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said his program recruited Hilinski hard, and that the freshman has “extreme arm talent,” and “he can make all the throws.”

“This young man is talented, … just look at the Alabama tape, he went out and played one of the elite defenses in the country and spun the ball as good as anybody, he’s got a great release, he’s got intuition on throws, he’s very instinctive,” Smart said at his regular weekly press conference. “He’s going to be a really good player in this league for a long time in my opinion.”

Hilinski appears to be ready this week after there were questions about three weeks ago about a sore elbow when he missed practice time leading up to the Missouri game. Hilinski has completed 61 percent of his passes for 912 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Smart was also asked about a comparison between Hilinski and Bentley.

“He does not play like a freshman, not that Bentley does,” Smart said. “But Hilinski’s done a great job of whipping the ball, throwing vertical down the field. He’s got a really good group of wideouts and they do a great job of putting him in successful situations.”