Former South Carolina Edge Rusher Desmond Umeozulu Commits to Alabama Football Via Transfer Portal

The Crimson Tide has added reinforcement on the defensive side of the football, with Hayes Fawcett of On3 and Rivals reporting that former South Carolina edge defender Desmond Umeozulu has committed to Alabama.

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Umeozulu, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound edge rusher from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, just completed his junior year with the Gamecocks and will have one season of eligibility remaining. In his three seasons with South Carolina, he has totaled 30 tackles and 1.5 sacks. During the 2025 season, Umeozulu appeared in all 12 contests with one start, recording 19 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, and his first career solo sack. He's played in 36 career games with South Carolina.

As a high school prospect from C.H. Flowers High School, he was rated as a four-star in South Carolina's 2023 recruiting class, the No. 113 overall prospect, the No. 15 edge, and the No. 3 player in the state of Maryland.

He joins an Alabama edge rusher room that lost significant production from the 2025 season, with LT Overton declaring for the NFL, and Qua Russaw, Keon Keeley, and Jordan Renaud entering the transfer portal. Alabama is still returning redshirt junior Yhonzae Pierre and sophomore Justin Hill as edge defenders from the 2025 season, while the Crimson Tide has already added Devan Thompkins from USC and Caleb Smith from the transfer portal.

Umeozulu is the 17th transfer to commit to the Crimson Tide from the transfer portal, and is the fifth defensive lineman/edge player commitment for Alabama via the transfer portal.

Josh Ford, TE (Oklahoma State)
Caleb Woodson, LB (Virginia Tech)
Kaden Strayhorn, OL (Michigan)
Devan Thompkins, DL (USC)
Ethan Stangle, Long Snapper (Syracuse)
Adam Watford, P (North Alabama)
Jaxon Shuttlesworth, TE (Jacksonville State)
Carmelo O'Neal, DB (Mercer)
Kedrick Bingley-Jones, DL (Mississippi State)
Lorcan Quinn, Kicker (Marshall)
Ty Haywood, OL (Michigan)
Noah Rogers, WR (NC State)
Caleb Smith, DL (Washington)
Racin Delgatty, IOL (Cal Poly)
Nick Brooks, OL (Texas)
Ethan Fields, OL (Ole Miss)
Terrance Green, DL (Oregon)
Desond Umeozulu, Edge (South Carolina)*

*Most recent addition.

The transfer portal officially opened on January 2 and closed at midnight on Saturday, January 17. Players can no longer enter the portal, but player who are in the portal can still commit to new schools.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.