Oluwatosin Babalade, 4-star OT out of Maryland, pledges to play in SEC after all

Oluwatosin Babalade appears to be solidly in the South Carolina camp after what appeared to have been a late push from Maryland.

Babalade originally pledged to the Gamecocks on Aug. 5. However, he de-committed on Dec. 13 as the Terrapins looked to flip the Dematha Catholic product and keep him close to home.

However, on Tuesday, Babalade, on Twitter, announced his decision to re-commit to Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks instead of heading to College Park:

Boom we back in business lock in??@CoachSBeamer @RivalsFriedman pic.twitter.com/ucJCw0o9Og

— Oluwatosin Babalade (@_Bigtree23) December 21, 2022

The 6-foot-5-and-a-half, 310-pounder is rated as the No. 22 offensive tackle in the country and represents a key addition to the offensive line for the Gamecocks for the next several years. The Gamecocks currently have the No. 18 class with the re-commitment of Babalade.

“With (offensive line) coach Greg (Adkins), I like everything with him,” Babalade originally told 247Sports following his initial commitment in August. “The family part, his teachings, and when I met with him one-on-one to talk about football.”

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.