Josiah Thompson crosses heavy milestone in his development at USC
Josiah Thompson has been playing since Day One at South Carolina.
The Dillon High School product became the first true freshman to start a season opener for the Gamecocks since 2019 and he ultimately started in 12 games for South Carolina last year.
USC coach Shane Beamer lauded Thompson and his fellow young offensive linemen for the progress they made during the offseason. And Beamer said Thompson specifically has worked hard to gain weight since last season.
“Josiah Thompson, I’m pleased and proud to report, is over 300 pounds as of today,” Beamer said Thursday will speaking at the team’s on-campus media day. “That’s been a, I don’t want to say battle, but a mission for him because he came in a little light to play left tackle in the SEC. Not only did he do it, he did it at a high level.”
Thompson arrived in Columbia last January weighing 265 pounds, he told The State, even though the team listed him at 300 pounds on last year’s roster.
Despite coming in at a lighter weight for the position, Thompson had a stellar freshman season. He earned All-SEC Freshman honors from the league’s coaches and was named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.
“He’s really attacked everything and that goes back to the development in the weight room, training room,” and with team nutrionist Yimy Rodriguez, Beamer said. “He’s been able to put on weight. Now he’s developed and physically, he’s more prepared to go play offensive tackle in the SEC.”
Thompson weighed around 286 pounds in April, he told reporters at the Gamecock Gala. Now in August, Thompson is, once again, listed at 300 pounds on South Carolina’s official roster for the 2025 season. The sophomore said it was easy to put the weight on.
“It really wasn’t hard at all,” Thompson said. “Just staying on that schedule between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just staying consistent every day, especially with our nutritionist. He’s done a great job. Got to where I gotta be.”
Being 6-foot-7 and under 300 pounds makes Thompson relatively lean, all things considered. As a comparison, Cason Henry at the right tackle spot is listed at 310 pounds. Tree Babalade, who started nine games at left tackle in 2023, weighs 330 pounds.
South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley said Thompson’s added weight will help him continue to succeed in the SEC.
“He’s such a long and lean guy and in this conference, you need some mass, lower body mass specifically, to be able to withstand the bull rushes and things,” Teasley said. “... So that’s why it was important. Not just the mass, but getting stronger with the mass. I give all the credit to Yimy, our nutritionist, (and) in the weight room Luke (Day), Chip (Morton) and all those guys.”
More notes on USC offensive linemen
Thompson wasn’t the only younger offensive lineman to get some flowers from Beamer on media day. The Gamecocks head coach specifically highlighted Babalade, Markee Anderson as well as junior Trovon Baugh.
“Really proud of all those young offensive linemen,” Beamer said. “... I went through with the staff a lot of things that had me excited about this team and the development of those young offensive linemen, because we’ve recruited very well at that position. They’re now a year older and have developed more and are the best version of themselves that they’ve ever been.”
Beamer specifically said Babalade and Anderson have spent less time doing modified drills this offseason, a sign they’re healthier. An example Beamer offered: pushing a 200-pound sled instead of a 500-pound one that players would push if typically fully healthy.
“Tree (and) Markee Anderson, they’ve had some injuries. They were modified less this summer than they’ve ever been, which means that they’ve taken another step, physically,” Beamer said.
Beamer also said Baugh has been working this offseason to change his body composition. He added that Baugh’s hard work even caught the eye of South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati.
“Tro’s been awesome,” Beamer said. “Singled him out with the team because he’s really changed his body in a lot of ways, changing his body fat percentage. ... Jeremiah would come up here in the evening and kind of work out on his own in the weight room and one night this summer, he texted me and was like, ‘Every time I come up here, Trovon is always in the weight room.’ The guy works his butt off.”
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 7:50 AM.
