Last week was a recruiting shutdown, which means no contact of any kind is allowed. Now recruiting is about to heat up again, and here are some names to watch.
The rest of the summer is comprised mainly of quiet periods, when in-person recruiting is only allowed on campus. There are a handful of dead periods sprinkled in, but the most important part is four more evaluation periods (colloquially known as “live periods”). These are the weekends when the travel circuits hold events that all the coaches attend.
The remaining live periods are May 16-18, June 12-14, July 11-14, and July 18-21. I have not seen the calendar for 2025-26, which begins in August, but it is normally a quiet period with another weeklong shutdown.
I have been bullish on how good the 2026 class is. It comes at an important time. South Carolina hasn’t had a big (four players or more) signing class since 2021 and has seen three combined members of the 2022 and 2023 classes transfer out.
Dawn Staley has been able to fill in the gaps with transfers, but has avoided having to actually build the roster through the portal. If the Gamecocks don’t land a big class soon, that will change.
At this point in the cycle, few players have truly narrowed down their options. That will happen over the next few months. Here are some of the names to watch:
Saniyah Hall (6-2 Wing, On3 ranking: 1) – Hall is originally from Ohio but transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida. She’s got elite size scoring ability, and is going to have her pick of where she wants to play. Hall recently visited North Carolina, but seems to still be wide open.
Kate Harpring (5-10 Point Guard, On3 ranking: 2) – Harpring shot up the recruiting rankings last summer, and for good reason. She has good size and strength for a point guard and could play either guard position. Harpring has great instincts and an impressive mid-range and post-up game. Staley and the Gamecocks appear to really want Harpring, but she hasn’t tipped her hand yet.
Jerzy Robinson (6-1 Guard, On3 ranking: 3) – Robinson has a great scorer, another player in the increasingly long line of talent coming out of Los Angeles (it’s no coincidence that new assistant coach Wendale Farrow was most recently at Southern Cal). She recently indicated South Carolina is among her favorites, but like everyone else seems to be a long way from committing.
Olivia Vukosa (6-5 Post, On3 ranking: 4) – Vukosa is a rarity: a throwback, low-post big. She has all the traits of a classic post and is an outstanding “bad shot” maker around the basket. Vukosa is originally from Croatia and was close to UConn’s Nika Muhl, also from Croatia. Vukosa included South Carolina in her top seven, but it feels like a longshot.
McKenna Woliczko (6-2 Wing, On3 ranking: 5) – Woliczko tore her ACL in January so she missed the second half of last season and won’t play AAU this summer (she also missed her softball season). She can play all over the court, knocking down threes or grabbing rebounds (she set a USA Basketball record for rebounds last summer), and has great instinct for where to be. Woliczko reminds me of Chloe Kitts. She released a top ten in the winter and will be narrowing that down soon.
Oliviyah Edwards (6-3 Forward, On3 ranking: 6) – Edwards is probably the best athlete in the class, a big, strong player who can dunk easily. She reminds me of Janiah Barker – a guard in a post’s body.
Jayla Jordyn Jackson (6-1 Wing, On3 ranking: 10) – Jackson is another elite recruit from the DMV area. SHe has South Carolina in her top six and plans to visit this summer.
Savvy Swords (6-1 Wing, On3 ranking: 12) – If you can’t beat them, join them. South Carolina couldn’t slow down Michigan’s Syla Swords, so they are going after little sister. Savvy is bigger than Syla and not quite as much of a prodigy, but she’s plenty talented on her own. She feels like a long , but South Carolina is good at recruiting Canadians.
Amari Byles (6-2, Guard, On3 ranking: 14) – Byles is a bit of a late bloomer who entered the summer with offers from schools like SMU. That will change. She’s a defensive-minded, team-first player who is going to pick up a lot of high-major offers. It’s too early to predict a landing spot for Byles.
Kelsi Andrews (6-4, Post, On3 ranking: 17) – Andrews is another player who fits the mold of a traditional post. She seems interested in South Carolina and could be a name to watch.
