Washington State Football: Luke Falk to honor Tyler Hilinski at Senior Bowl
Washington State football quarterback Luke Falk will wear Tyler Hilinski’s number at the Senior Bowl to honor the late sophomore quarterback.
In a touching tribute, Washington State Cougars’ player Luke Falk has chosen to wear Tyler Hilinski’s number when he plays in the Senior Bowl.
On January 16, Tyler Hilinski was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His fellow teammates, concerned after not hearing from Hilinski, found his body. According to the police report:
"Just prior to the arrival of Pullman officers, two teammates looking for Hilinski forced their way into the apartment when they did not receive an answer at the door. They discovered the deceased just as Pullman officers arrived on scene."
Falk felt that Hilinski’s death should have some meaning.
In a quote to the media, Falk stated,
"We really want Tyler to be remembered and this to be talked about. I mean, when suicide is the leading cause of death of men from 18 to 45 years old, it should be talked about. And we should do something about it…I just felt like [the jersey switch] is what I needed to do. He needs to be remembered. He was an amazing person and an amazing soul. This guy was one of the most outgoing, bubbly … just a guy you want to be around. And people need to know it."
Off the field, Falk’s thoughtful comments have received national acclaim, but he is also impressing the NFL scouts. At 6-foo-4 and 211 pounds, many scouts thought that Falk was too slender to be effective. They were wrong.
Analysts felt that Falk is accurate, poised, and reads defenses well.
ESPN’s Todd McShay stated that Falk has been the most consistent quarterback, which is little surprise to those that are familiar with Falk’s play. Falk was one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12 during his college career. Falk shattered all types of Pac-12 Football records, including completions, completion percentage, passing attempts, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. He earned a massive number of yards in his four years with Washington State–Falk had 119 total touchdowns and almost 15,000 yards.
This poise manifested during his press conference before the Senior Bowl, also.
If you’d like to see Falk discuss his decision, the video is below.
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Hilinski, a redshirt sophomore, would have been the Cougars’ starting quarterback in 2018. He also played in Washington State’s bowl game against Michigan State. This season, he played in eight games and earned 1,176 yards and seven touchdowns. One wonders how much more he could have accomplished.
Falk has returned to Washington to attend Hilinski’s funeral. He will not participate in the Senior Bowl