Veteran Gamecock linebacker will enter the transfer portal
South Carolina is losing one of it’s longest-tenured players.
Redshirt senior linebacker Mohamed Kaba is entering the transfer portal, he confirmed to The State on Monday. On3 was the first to report the news.
Because he’s a graduate, the Clinton, North Carolina native is able to enter the transfer portal immediately instead of having to wait until Dec. 9 — when the portal officially opens for everyone.
So far, Kaba is the third Gamecock to announce their plans of entering the portal. The first two were offensive lineman Ni Mansell and defensive tackle Jamaal Whyce.
Kaba, who began his South Carolina career in 2020 under coach Will Muschamp, has had a rocky career in Columbia. He contributed as a true freshman and made the Southeastern Conference’s freshman team.
Kaba tore his ACL just two games into his junior season. After nearly a year of rehab and recovery, Kaba suited up during the 2023 season-opener and again tore his ACL, missing the second-straight season. He returned healthy this season, but played sparingly sitting behind Demetrius Knight, Debo Williams, Bam Martin-Scott and others on the linebacker depth chart.
Because Kaba played in just four games this year, he is eligible to earn a redshirt season. Kaba — who has already played five college football seasons — said he has two years of eligibility remaining because of the COVID season, a redshirt year and a medical redshirt season.
In his South Carolina career, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound linebacker totaled 53 total tackles (32 as a sophomore) and a trio of tackles for loss.
After finishing the regular season 9-3, South Carolina is waiting to learn of its postseason fate — whether that’s a spot in the College Football Playoff or a bowl game.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Veteran Gamecock linebacker will enter the transfer portal."
