Veteran South Carolina offensive lineman enters transfer portal

South Carolina offensive lineman Ryan Brubaker has entered the transfer portal, according to GamecockCentral’s Wes Mitchell.

Brubaker, a 6-foot-5, 313-pound redshirt senior, will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next destination. He becomes the ninth scholarship offensive lineman from the Gamecocks to enter the portal since the 2025 season ended.

Brubaker has been at South Carolina since 2022, but his time with the Gamecocks has been filled with injuries. After not playing as a true freshman, he redshirted and then suffered a right knee injury that required surgery, which forced him to miss the entire 2023 season.

After a relatively healthy 2024 campaign in which he backed up starting center Vershon Lee and played in five games, he then missed all of spring drills and the start of fall camp with an injury in 2025. He returned towards the end of the season and appeared in the Coastal Carolina game.

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Ryan Brubaker’s bio from GamecocksOnline

2024 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
2024 Harold White GPA Award – Offense
2023 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
2022-23 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Offensive lineman who plays in the interior of the line, primarily at center… career has been hampered by injuries… excellent student in the classroom who earned his degree in political science and is interested in becoming a lawyer.

2025 (Redshirt Junior)
Missed all of spring drills and the start of fall camp with an injury… was finally able to return to practice and appeared briefly in the Coastal Carolina game late in the season.

2024 (Redshirt Sophomore)
Reserve offensive lineman who backed up center Vershon Lee… saw limited action in five contests, the first of his career… appeared in games against Kentucky, LSU, Akron, Wofford and Clemson… named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll… recognized as the Harold White GPA Award winner for the offense at the 2024 Garnet & Black Spring Game.

2023 (Redshirt Freshman)
Second-year player who suffered a right knee injury that required surgery… missed the entire season… named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

2022 (Freshman)
True freshman offensive lineman… did not see any game action… redshirted… named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Cocalico High in Denver, Pa. in 2022… played offensive tackle… coached by Bryan Strohl… the Eagles went 6-5 in his senior campaign… helped his team to the state semifinals as a sophomore… was a three-sport athlete, including swimming… rated the 16th-best prospect in Pennsylvania, the 41st-best offensive tackle in the country and No. 539 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings… rated the 17th-best player in the state and the 50th-best offensive tackle in the country by Rivals.

PERSONAL
Ryan Jeffrey Brubaker was born Sept. 16, 2003… graduated in December 2025 with a degree in political science… father, Jeff, played offensive line at Penn State.

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