Former Freshman All-American Offensive Lineman to Enter Transfer Portal After Coach Takes Nebraska Job

Former South Carolina offensive lineman Trovon Baugh announced Wednesday his intent to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.

The timing quickly drew attention from a Nebraska perspective, as Baugh was coached during his breakout freshman season by Lonnie Teasley, now an assistant offensive line coach on Matt Rhule’s staff.

Baugh, who enters the portal with one year of eligibility remaining, instantly becomes an intriguing prospect to a Huskers staff that will look to replace three starting offensive linemen over the offseason.

With extensive experience working at right guard, Baugh's dependability makes sense for Nebraska, as they will lose both Henry Lutovsky (LG) and Rocco Spindler (RG) following Nebraska's Las Vegas Bowl matchup with the Utah Utes. With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about the Atlanta, GA native.

NEW: South Carolina OL Trovon Baugh is entering the transfer portal, his rep @RocNationSports tells @PeteNakos.

The 6-foot-4, 337-pound OL is a former Freshman All-SEC selection who started 11 games in 2025. https://t.co/9POq3cXPuo pic.twitter.com/bmRXSU7jbo
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 17, 2025

Formerly a four-star prospect in the 2023 class, Trovon Baugh arrived at South Carolina as one of the Gamecocks' more promising young offensive linemen. The Georgia native was rated as a top 50 positional recruit by On3 and quickly backed that up once he reached the collegiate level.

Baugh appeared in 11 games as a true freshman in 2023, moving into the starting lineup at right guard midway through the season and starting the final eight contests. Competing weekly against SEC competition, the 6-foot-4, 337-pound lineman earned Freshman All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches and was named a PFF Freshman All-American for his play.

His role shifted in 2024, as Baugh appeared in 12 games primarily on special teams while continuing to develop within South Carolina’s offensive line room. Through three seasons, he has played in 35 games with 19 career starts, experience that gives him a resume few linemen entering the portal can match.

Heck of a pancake from Shed Sarratt and Trovon Baugh pic.twitter.com/Pd51Gng6xG
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) September 14, 2025

A significant layer to Baugh’s portal decision is his existing relationship with his former position coach. Teasley coached Baugh for his first three seasons of collegiate football and recently joined the Huskers staff.

South Carolina’s offensive line battled through a wave of injuries in 2023, yet Baugh remained a steady presence once he entered the starting five. Teasley pieced together multiple combinations throughout the year, and Baugh’s ability to handle SEC-level competition as a first-year player became one of the unit’s most positive aspects.

Teasley’s experience extends well beyond Baugh’s development. Under his guidance, South Carolina produced multiple All-SEC selections, including third-team honoree Torricelli Simpkins III, along with NFL draft pick Jovaughn Gwyn. His track record emphasizes preparing linemen to handle physical defensive fronts, and seemingly every other area that Nebraska needs to improve.

For portal prospects, familiarity often matters as much as opportunity. With Teasley now in Lincoln alongside newly hired offensive line coach Geep Wade, Nebraska offers Baugh a level of continuity and opportunity that few, if any, can match.

The timing of Baugh’s portal entry matters for a Nebraska program undergoing a significant transition along the offensive line. With a new coaching staff in place and several veteran contributors departing, the Huskers are facing the need to replace both guard spots and their right tackle before the start of the 2026 season. Should Nebraska pursue him, Baugh would present a ready-made option with proven size and experience in the trenches.

Baugh’s background in the SEC, which Big Ten fans need little reminder is one of the most physically demanding conferences in college football, suggests a minimal adjustment period if he were to make the jump to the Big Ten. His Freshman All-SEC recognition speaks to a high developmental ceiling, and his profile would place him among Nebraska’s most proven interior options. That includes comparisons to returning starter Elijah Pritchett, who also arrived in Lincoln after gaining starting experience against SEC competition at Alabama in 2024.

While there is no guarantee Baugh follows his former coach to Nebraska, the connection alone makes him a name worth monitoring once the portal opens. In the modern transfer era, players have shown a willingness to prioritize familiarity and development when weighing options. With Teasley now in Lincoln and Nebraska actively reshaping its offensive line, Baugh could emerge as one of the Huskers’ top targets come January.

With that in mind, Rhule has clearly made a point to overhaul Nebraska’s offensive line infrastructure. Both Wade and Teasley arrive in Lincoln with more than a decade of Division I coaching experience, bringing proven resumes in both player development and recruiting at the Power Four level.

The pairing offers more than just a reset in voice and technique. It signals a renewed emphasis on improvements up front. While rebuilding the offensive line is rarely a one-offseason fix, the Huskers’ aggressive approach to strengthening protection up front will likely yield immediate benefits.

Whether the shift came sooner or later is beside the point. What is clear is that Nebraska is moving decisively. With both Wade and Teasley already seeing players from their former programs enter the transfer portal, the Huskers appear to be well-positioned to leverage familiarity, opportunity, and need into drastic improvements up front next fall.

There’s still a long way to go before Nebraska returns to the pipeline-level program it once was, but between the additions made to the coaching staff and the potential recruits linked to those coaches, it’s an encouraging start. Real progress will need to be made over the offseason, and adding a former Freshman All-American like Baugh would go a long way toward signaling that vision is already in motion.

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