Luke Falk to Wear Teammate Tyler Hilinski's Number at 2018 Senior Bowl

Washington State quarterback Luke Falk is wearing No. 3 during the 2018 Senior Bowl activities in Alabama to honor former Cougars teammate Tyler Hilinski.

On Wednesday, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com passed along comments from Falk about his manner of remembering Hilinski, who died by suicide Jan. 16:

"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 feel like at times we feel like we can't express our emotions because we're in a masculine sport. And him being a quarterback, people look up to you as a leader, so he felt like he really probably couldn't talk to anybody. You know, we gotta change some of that stuff. We gotta have resources and not have anymore stigma on people going through that."

Falk described his fellow quarterback as "an amazing person and an amazing soul" with an "outgoing, bubbly" personality. He noted the team held a candlelight vigil last week with Hilinski's family and friends, and players wondered if there was anything more they could have done to help.

"So I think we all feel a little bit of guilt," he said. "I wish that I could've given him one more hug. I wish I could've given him a pat on the butt one more time and just let him know that he's loved."

Hilinski spent the past two years as Falk's chief backup. He appeared in 11 games and was expected to compete for the WSU starting job next season with Falk heading to the NFL.

Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said Tuesday the suicide note left by the 21-year-old California native won't be released to the public, per KIRO.

Falk said he "felt like [the jersey switch] is what I needed to do" to honor Hilinski and help him deal with the emotions during Senior Bowl week.