Offensive line target recaps recent visit, discusses official visit plans
South Carolina and the city of Columbia put on a show during the April 15 spring game, and the Gamecocks have been seizing the momentum from that in a critical way on the recruiting trail.
It appears that the Gamecocks have secured at least one, if not more, commitments from either 2023 or 2024 prospects, and that night put an exclamation mark on a successful spring in recruiting.
It also gave high-level prospects – who have not yet committed to any school – a good, final marker to see where the program is at, and one of the key players who fits that bill was three-star 2023 offensive tackle Oluwatosin Babalade out of Maryland powerhouse DeMatha Catholic.
Babalade was one of the 32 prospects on campus for the spring game who has an offer from the Gamecocks. That served as one of his most important visits of the spring, and he came away thoroughly impressed with what he saw.
“It was great. I had a great time. I really felt comfortable with them,” Babalade told Gamecock Scoop, adding that he felt truly appreciated by the staff and players who showed him plenty of love on the visit. “They were being nice, and they were really caring. It just felt so nice. It was great weather, and it was loud.”
Babalade – who is being recruited mainly as a left tackle but also could be a right tackle – added that he enjoyed the area in and around campus and the city. When it came down to football, the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder – who lists himself now as 6-foot-6 and 307 pounds – got a good gauge of what it would be like to be part of the Gamecocks’ offensive line room.
One of the strengths of South Carolina’s offense – and probably its teams as a whole – this season figures to be its offensive line.
Offensive line coach Greg Adkins returns for his second stint at the position to provide some coaching continuity for the Gamecocks – something Shane Beamer broke down as a critical element of building on what the program did last season. And Adkins returns to coach up one of the most veteran offensive line units in the country, which returns all five starters up front to pave the way for Spencer Rattler and a host of pass catchers led by a strong set of incoming transfers.
Seeing that unit go to work during the spring game was one of the highlights during Babalade’s visit. So was getting to talk with Adkins and soak up some information from him and the players behind the scenes.
“We were mainly watching the practice film and them going through the [offense],” said Babalade, who was focused on the linemen’s technique and movements up front and was able to spend a lot of time talking with Adkins and offensive analyst Lonnie Teasley about the Gamecocks’ offensive line. “Coach Adkins is pretty relaxed, and he knows what he is talking about.”
Those conversations with Adkins, Teasley and the players featured some breakdowns of different techniques, which Babalade took away from his time in Columbia as he prepares for the summer ahead of his senior year.
“It was mainly speed bend and keeping your shoulders square,” Babalade said of some techniques he learned. “And how they use the inside hand to slow the D-end down for a quick second.”
That was one of the key takeaways for Babalade, and the entire experience had him marking down South Carolina as one of the schools that will get one of his five official visits. He has not yet locked in a date for that visit but says that it will likely come in June.
As for a commitment and an updated top schools list, Babalade says he has no specific timeline for either. But South Carolina will be included on that top schools list when he does release it.
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