Brandon McIlwain arrived as a two-sport early-enrollee with a report card every bit as impressive as his Hudl videos.
It didn’t take him long to work his way up South Carolina’s crowded quarterback depth chart.
Now, with an injury to starter Perry Orth, it’s looking more and more like McIlwain might be the Gamecocks’ opening day starter as a true freshman Sept. 1 at Vanderbilt.
https://twitter.com/Richard_803/status/714934006329053184
New coach Will Muschamp said he will settle on a winner in fall camp.
Here are a few things to know about the guy leading the race.
Russell Wilson 2.0?
Forget about the NFL and Wilson’s meteoric rise. Nobody expected that … or Wilson wouldn’t have lasted until the third round of the draft.
That’s an unfair comparison point for any college player, much less a true freshman like McIlwain.
Think back to when Wilson was at N.C. State, and later Wisconsin.
McIlwain and Wilson have similar builds, similar skill-sets and both played baseball. Both are off-the-charts intelligent. It’s an easy comparison.
McIlwain is 6-0, 206 pounds. Wilson measured 5-11, 204 at his NFL Combine workout. Both have strong accurate arms but excel outside the pocket.
One key difference: Wilson redshirted as a true freshman in 2007. McIlwain might be the Gamecocks’ opening day starter.
Wilson threw for 1,955 yards with 17 touchdowns and just one interception as a redshirt freshman in 2008, when he was named All-ACC.
As a baseball player …
Wilson played parts of two seasons for the Wolfpack, was drafted twice and eventually played some minor league baseball. He was seen as a prospect, and his decision to keep playing baseball caused friction with former Wolfpack football coach Tom O’Brien and essentially forced his transfer to Wisconsin.
McIlwain, an outfielder, was considered a potential first-round pick in the upcoming June draft, but as an early enrollee, he isn’t eligible. He won’t be until after his junior season at South Carolina.
Takes a special athlete to make the quick adjustment that Brandon McIlwain has so far(FREE) https://t.co/2Ukdq8B1gS pic.twitter.com/o8kubYFIA6
— TheBigSpur.com (@TheBigSpur247) February 1, 2016
He’s played in seven games but still is looking for his first hit. He made it known upon arriving in January that he was football first, that he wouldn’t miss spring practices to play baseball.
“My scholarship is through football. I signed the financial aid papers through football, so football is my priority,” McIlwain told The State. “That’s kind of where most of my time is going to be spent and working out with the team. If I can do the stuff I need to do and I can contribute on the baseball team, then they’re going to have me do that as well.”
If you don’t like the Wilson comparison, perhaps you might enjoy this piece comparing McIlwain’s two-sport prowess to Bo Jackson.
As a recruit …
247Sports.com’s composite rankings listed McIlwain No. 2 among dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2015 class, behind only Jarrett Gaurantano, who will sit, watch and learn from Joshua Dobbs at Tennessee.
McIlwain was a four-star recruit and the No. 170 player overall in the class — the highest rated among the Gamecocks’ signees.
You want poise?
Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Trent Dilfer helps run the Elite 11 quarterback camp.
Here’s what Dilfer told 247Sports after working with McIlwain:
“If Brandon McIlwain isn’t a major league baseball pitcher, second baseman or NFL quarterback, he’s probably gonna be more successful being a senator or the president of the United States or a CEO,” Dilfer said. “He’s that kind of kid.”
His coach kind of likes him, too.
Muschamp on McIlwain: "Brandon has a lot of intangibles, which is part of being a good football player and especially a good quarterback.”
— Barrett Sallee ?? (@BarrettSallee) March 23, 2016
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
