Two year starter Josiah Thompson was the last man standing for the primary starting offensive line for South Carolina for the 2025 season. And now he’s entering the Transfer Portal as well as the others.
Thompson, a highly recruited prospect out of Dillon High School in the 2024 class, became an immediate starter for the Gamecocks and earned Freshman All-American honors. He started 24 of 25 games in his career.
Thompson joins left guard Nick Sharpe, center Boaz Stanley, right guard Trovon Baugh and right tackles Cason Henry and Tree Babalade as the offensive line starters entering the Portal. Reserve offensive guard Rodney Newsome is also transferring.
The Gamecocks now have 15 scholarship players in the Portal.
- DT Zavion Hardy
- TE Michael Smith
- OG Nick Sharpe
- LB Jaron Willis
- OG Trovon Baugh
- WR Brian Rowe
- OT Cason Henry
- OT Tree Babalade
- LB Taeshawn Alston
- CB Myles Norwood
- QB Air Noland
- OL Boaz Stanley
- OL Rodney Newsom
- WR Vandrevius Jacobs
- OT Josiah Thompson
Every highly ranked OL recruit that was directly recruited by former OL coach Lonnie Teasley would play well their freshman year and then succeed to devolve into a worse player the next 2-3 years. For sure, he could recruit plenty of 4 and 5* OL but knew little about developing players thereafter. After finishing as one of the worst OL in P5 football, it would be hard to care too much about any current OL leaving. The 2025 Gamecock OL was dreadful at best, perhaps one of the worst in modern Gamecock history at worst.