Oluwatosin Babalade signs with Gamecocks

The 2023 recruiting class for South Carolina Gamecocks football continues to take shape with signatures rolling in during the first day of the December early signing period.

The latest prospect to officially ink with the Gamecock program is Hyattsville (Maryland) Dematha Catholic four-star offensive lineman Oluwatosin Babalade.

He is ranked by the On3 Consensus as the No. 215 prospect nationally regardless of position, in addition to the 16th-best offensive tackle prospect nationally and the No. 4 prospect in the state of Maryland.

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Here is more on the newest addition for readers of GamecockCentral.com:

South Carolina Gamecocks recruiter: Greg Adkins, Lonnie Teasley

Other scholarship offers: Florida, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State

Why South Carolina? “It is just a different feeling for me down at South Carolina. Columbia is calm, chill, and relaxing to me. It is different than the DMV where I live. I love the people up here and Maryland is a great school with great coaches, but I am excited about being somewhere different.

Scouting report from On3: Big-framed offensive lineman with the brute strength to overpower defensive linemen. Has college-ready size, measuring at 6-foot-5, 308 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wing-span prior to his senior season. Moves well at his size, both on Friday nights and in the camp setting. Turned in a solid 4.85 second short shuttle. Works at left tackle for a top high school program in DeMatha. Has significant upper body strength and pop in his hands. Stones opposing pass rusher at the point of attack. Can sling defensive linemen to the ground with relative ease. Faces top competition, including many future Power Five pass rushers on a weekly basis. Had a dominant showing at Under Armour’s Baltimore camp. Could play multiple spots on the offensive line at the next level. Still developing from a technique perspective. Has room to improve as a run blocker and in sustaining blocks. Also has a tendency to play high at times.

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