College Sports

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Junior Tommy Beecher is clearly the starter and troubled freshman Stephen Garcia could have the most potential, but perhaps none of South Carolina's quarterbacks gets coach Steve Spurrier as excited as newcomer Aramis Hillary.

Ever since Hillary signed with the Gamecocks this winter, Spurrier has gushed about Hillary's enthusiasm, talent, intelligence and character.

"I think Aramis is going to be a leader of that freshman group," Spurrier said this week. "He loves everything about football, everything about the University of South Carolina. You wish you had about 50 of them like Aramis."

High praise from a coach careful with superlatives.

"That makes me feel good knowing that a man of that caliber" has so many good things to say, Hillary said Friday as he joined several teammates to read to children at the Richland County Public Library.

A day earlier, Spurrier said he would prefer the 6-foot-3, 212-pound Hillary redshirt this season to develop in the Gamecocks' complex system. Hillary said he is ready to do whatever he must to help.

"If the team needs me, I'd be fully glad to help them. But it's time to sit back, learn some stuff, that's what I'll do," Hillary said.

Hillary seemed destined to play college football. His uncle, Ira Hillary, played for South Carolina in the mid 1980s before going to the NFL for four seasons. Aramis' older brother, CoCo, was part of Appalachian State's amazing 2007 season that included a win over Michigan and its third straight NCAA title in the division formerly called I-AA.

Aramis Hillary, who like his uncle and brother played at Strom Thurmond High, had long hoped to play for the Gamecocks. When the offer game, Hillary made sure the coaches knew he was ready.

Hillary attended several spring practices, got the Gamecocks playbook early and sat in on quarterback meetings. Now that he's on campus, he wants to keep learning as much as he can as quickly as he can.

"It's going pretty good," he said. "The workouts have been rough, but nobody said it would be easy."

Spurrier thinks Hillary combines a solid throwing arm with the quickness and intelligence to elude defenders, something the coach has become more enamored with since watching ex-quarterback Syvelle Newton bail out an overmatched offense with those skills.

"I don't know if he is quite as quick as Syvelle was," Spurrier said when Hillary signed in February. "But I do know he is a very good passer also and he gives us a different quarterback than what we have had here since Syvelle."

Hillary still has to climb the depth chart. Spurrier made clear Thursday that Beecher would get the chance to start. Behind him is sophomore Chris Smelley. Then, most likely, would be the heralded Garcia, should he return to the team later this summer from a university suspension.

Hillary also has to compete with fellow freshman Reid McCollum, a 6-4, 195-pounder more the pocket passer.

McCollum, also at the library, enrolled in January with the hopes of attending spring practice but returned home. He had gone through the twin tragedies of losing two close friends in five months — Summerville assistant Louis Mulkey in a fire at a Charleston furniture store that killed nine firefighters, and Cassidy Pendley in a North Carolina beach house fire that killed seven college students. "I think it was the right decision for me. I needed to be home with my family," McCollum said. "I'm glad I did it, but ... I'm glad I'm back."