McKenna Woliczko Set to Announce College Commitment Wednesday
One of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class, McKenna Woliczko, has reached her decision and will reveal her college choice on Wednesday, October 1, at 11:00 a.m. EDT.
The 6-foot-2 wing from Archbishop Mitty (California) narrowed her options to South Carolina, Iowa, Ohio State, and Southern Cal, with the Gamecocks and Hawkeyes considered frontrunners. After weeks of weighing her options, Woliczko finalized her commitment last week and coordinated the announcement with her representatives before making it public on social media.
Woliczko’s recruitment featured a string of high-profile visits. She traveled to Ohio State in April, visited South Carolina at the end of June, and capped her official visits with a trip to Iowa in late August. She also made unofficial stops at both Iowa and USC, while taking an earlier visit to South Carolina in the summer of 2024.
Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the Class of 2026 by On3’s industry rankings and ESPN HoopGurlz, Woliczko is also listed by ESPN as the No. 11 recruit nationally across all classes.
South Carolina pulled out all the stops during her visit. Head coach Dawn Staley hosted a block party at her house, the staff arranged for her to watch a WNBA game on the big screen at Williams-Brice Stadium, and even Gamecocks football coach Shane Beamer broke down film of her younger brother’s football highlights. Woliczko later sent Staley a handwritten note, thanking her for the memorable visit.
On the court, Woliczko has proven herself as a dominant rebounder and versatile scorer. At the 2024 U17 World Cup, she grabbed 17 rebounds against Japan, tying the all-time USA single-game rebounding record. While she has often played inside at the high school level, she projects to move to the perimeter in college, bringing a strong shooting touch, passing ability, and off-ball movement. Coaches believe she has 50-40-90 potential as she continues refining her game.
Her journey has not been without setbacks. Woliczko tore her ACL in January, missing the remainder of her basketball season and her junior year of softball. She has since rehabbed, even making a ceremonial final basket with her AAU team over the summer. A full recovery is expected.
Speaking to On3’s Talia Goodman about her finalists, Woliczko highlighted what makes South Carolina stand out:
“I love Dawn [Staley] and the rest of the coaching staff. I think that South Carolina is, when you’re looking to get to that next level, like the WNBA, South Carolina will help you get there. So I think that’s really cool to think about. They’re just recruiting the best of the best, so then you’re able to play with top players in the country, and that’s what it’s going to be like playing in the pros. I think it’d be cool to figure that out at the college level, instead of being pushed right into that at the pro level.”
With the anticipation building, all eyes will be on Wednesday morning when McKenna Woliczko makes her long-awaited announcement.
