South Carolina losing starting offensive lineman to transfer portal, per report
By David Wasson
Published:
The South Carolina Gamecocks are primed to lose a piece of their offensive line as Tree Babalade reportedly is headed to the transfer portal.
CBS Sports reported Tuesday that Babalade informed the Gamecocks of his decision to portal out of Columbia when it opens Jan. 2. The sophomore right tackle has made 15 career starts for South Carolina and will have 2 years of eligibility remaining.
A 6-foot-5, 330-pounder out of Hyattsville, Md., Babalade began the 2025 season as a backup but moved into the starting spot at right tackle following an injury to Cason Henry. Balabade started 5 straight games at that spot against Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss.
Balabade took his redshirt season in 2024, making 1 start and appearing in 4 games. He played as a true freshman in 2023, starting 9 games at left tackle and playing in 11.
The DeMatha Catholic High School product was rated as the 4th-best player in Maryland, the 19th-best offensive tackle in the country and No. 227 overall by 247Sports Composite in the 2023 class. He was also recruited by Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, NC State, Florida, Minnesota, Penn State and North Carolina out of high school.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
