Something To Prove
Terry Wilson (Sr.), Kentucky
Wilson helped lead the Wildcats to a historic finish in 2019, which included 10 wins, a Citrus Bowl win over Penn State, and their first win over Florida in over 30 seasons.
While the some of his stats from that campaign weren’t stellar (11 touchdowns compared to 8 interceptions), Wilson was looking to take the next step in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury in Kentucky’s season opener.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops turned to backup quarterback Sawyer Smith before settling on the ultra talented wide receiver-turned signal caller Lynn Bowden, who somehow guided the Wildcats to an eight-win season.
Wilson returns for his final season in Lexington, and he’s looking to not only replicate the team success from 2018, but also prove himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
While Bowden was electric and a headache to for opposing defenses, Wilson will help bring back some balance to Kentucky’s offense. It also helps that the Wildcats return one of the most experienced offensive lines in the SEC.
Wilson was already slated to miss the spring because of his recovery, but a disrupted offseason could also play a factor in Wilson’s availability come Week One.
Ryan Hilinski (So.), South Carolina
Like Kentucky, the Gamecocks were forced to make a quarterback change early in the season due to injury after losing starter Jake Bentley.
Bentley’s back up, Ryan Hilinski, took over and threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns in his very first start as a true freshman. The only problem was that performance came against Charleston Southern.
Hilinski took his lumps as a freshman, which is expected. He was serviceable enough in South Carolina’s upset win at Georgia, but the Gamecocks’ offense struggled to a 4-8 finish after Hilinski himself struggled through a leg injury.
As a freshman, Hilinski showed flashes, especially against Alabama in his second start when he threw for 324 yards and a pair of scores. He will look for similar performances in 2020 now that he has almost an entire season under his belt and will be working under first-year offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Will Muschamp is hoping, too, because his job may depend on it.
