Clemson Football: South Carolina DT Josh Belk leaves Gamecock program

Former Clemson football player and current Gamecock Josh Belk is reportedly leaving the South Carolina program, according to several reports.

Just this time last year, 5-star defensive tackle Josh Belk was beginning his career with Clemson football.

A few months later, Belk made a strange decision to transfer from Clemson to in-state rival South Carolina. Dabo Swinney granted him the ability to transfer anywhere he wanted to and then a few months later, Belk was awarded a waiver to play his freshman season.

At the time, it was reported that he was transferring to South Carolina to be closer to home to tend with a family health issue.

He didn’t get to play much with the Gamecocks this year due to conditioning issues and an injured ankle. As a matter of fact, Belk was injured and didn’t make the trip to Ole Miss when the Gamecocks took on the Rebels in November. Instead, he made the trip to Death Valley.

Now, it’s being reported by multiple outlets, including The State Newspaper, that Belk is no longer with the South Carolina football program.

Reports say that Belk has struggled with the desire to continue playing football in his collegiate career and that he was having a tough time getting along with teammates. Gamecock coaches could potentially convince him to rejoin the team before spring practice starts.

UPDATE: The latest report is that Belk said that he broke a vertebrae and was concerned about his long-term health, so he wanted to look at a different path for his career.

It’s been a winding and strange road for Belk. Josh Belk was a talented 5-star prospect coming out of high school and had potential to develop into an elite defensive tackle before it was all said and done.

This would leave the Gamecocks in a little bit of trouble as far as depth is concerned on that defensive line as Belk was projected to compete for a starting position in 2019.