COLUMBIA, S.C. — On the same week that South Carolina’s current roster was clinching its fifth consecutive SEC regular-season championship and celebrating four seniors on Senior Night, the program’s next chapter was quietly taking shape in the national recruiting rankings. ESPN released its 2026 women’s basketball recruiting class rankings on Thursday, and Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks landed exactly where they have become accustomed to landing — near the very top.
South Carolina’s 2026 signing class was ranked fourth nationally by ESPN, a placement that continues what has become one of the most consistent recruiting runs in the history of women’s college basketball.
The Class: Three Players, Three Distinct Profiles
The class as currently constructed consists of three players whose individual profiles suggest a deliberate and complementary approach to roster construction: fifth-ranked Jerzy Robinson, 17th-ranked Kaeli Wynn, and 18th-ranked Kelsi Andrews.
Jerzy Robinson is the headliner — a 6-1 guard from Sierra Canyon who committed to South Carolina on December 23 and will sign during the spring signing period. Her arrival in Columbia will follow a high school career that has produced one of the most remarkable individual achievements in California prep basketball history. Robinson became the all-time leading scorer at Sierra Canyon this season, surpassing Juju Watkins — a player who went on to become one of the most celebrated freshmen in USC women’s basketball history. Robinson also led Sierra Canyon to the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Finals, with the program set to play for the Southern Section title on Saturday.
ESPN’s scouting report on Robinson captures a player built for high-leverage moments: “She’s a confrontational competitor on the perimeter who lives at the free throw line, can initiate offense and has a proven jump shot. She missed some time early this high school season but has returned to her productive ways to piece together the best basketball of her career.”
The phrase “confrontational competitor” is worth sitting with. It is not a description of a player who excels in controlled environments or comfortable situations. It describes someone who seeks out pressure — who plays better, not worse, when the game is on the line. At South Carolina, where the standard is championship basketball and every possession in March carries consequences, that quality is not merely desirable. It is essential.
Kaeli Wynn, the 17th-ranked player in the class, is a 6-2 wing/forward who has already signed with the Gamecocks. ESPN describes her as “a confident and vocal presence on the floor with an exceptionally high basketball IQ” — language that suggests a player whose value extends beyond her physical tools. Basketball IQ at the wing position, combined with size and vocal leadership, addresses one of the perennial challenges of building a championship-caliber roster: finding players who can process the game quickly enough to execute within a complex system while also communicating those reads to teammates in real time.
Kelsi Andrews, the 18th-ranked player and a 6-4 forward/post, rounds out the class with a profile tailored almost precisely to what Staley’s program demands from its bigs. According to ESPN, Andrews “works the offensive glass, can finish with either hand around the rim and can stretch the floor beyond the three. She is also a quality high-low passer, making her a valuable addition to a program like the Gamecocks, who use their bigs.”
That final clause — “a program like the Gamecocks, who use their bigs” — is the scouting community’s acknowledgment of something that has defined South Carolina’s offensive identity throughout the Staley era. The Gamecocks do not recruit centers to be stationary post players. They recruit bigs who can pass, move, and make decisions in the high-low game — and Andrews, by ESPN’s assessment, fits that profile exceptionally well.
The Hidden Gem: Alicia Tournebize
One player conspicuously absent from ESPN’s official class ranking is forward Alicia Tournebize, who has already joined the team and therefore was not included in the 2026 class tabulation. Her exclusion, however, does not diminish her significance. When Robinson committed in December, ESPN called Tournebize the “gem” of the class — a designation that places her among the most impactful additions Staley has made to her roster heading into next season. Her early enrollment means she has already begun the process of integrating into South Carolina’s system, giving her a developmental head start that could accelerate her impact from her first season.
The Landscape: Where South Carolina Sits
Texas claimed the top-ranked class nationally, followed by Southern Cal and Duke. South Carolina sits fourth, ahead of Notre Dame, Kentucky, Clemson, Indiana, UConn, and Tennessee. In the SEC specifically, the Gamecocks lead all programs, with Vanderbilt next at 12th, followed by Oklahoma (21st), Florida (22nd), and Texas A&M (24th).
One significant variable remains. Uncommitted 2026 forward Sara Okeke has not yet signed, and when she does, the national rankings will shift accordingly. South Carolina is among the programs recruiting Okeke, though they do not currently appear to be the front-runner. Should she sign elsewhere, the Gamecocks’ fourth-place ranking holds. Should she ultimately choose Columbia, the class rises further.
The Streak That Defines an Era
Thursday’s rankings carry significance that extends beyond a single class. South Carolina has now signed a top-six recruit in three consecutive recruiting cycles — a distinction shared by only one other program in the country: Southern Cal.
To appreciate how extraordinary that consistency is, it helps to trace the arc of Staley’s recruiting history. South Carolina made its first major national recruiting statement in 2014, when A’ja Wilson headlined the nation’s second-ranked class. The Gamecocks followed with an 11th-ranked class in 2016 and a 10th-ranked class in 2017 — signs of a program building credibility, but not yet operating at the absolute elite level.
The transformation came in 2019, with the arrival of what became known as the “Freshies” class — a group ranked first overall that ultimately produced some of the most decorated players in program history and is widely regarded as one of the best recruiting classes the sport has ever seen. That class did not merely change South Carolina’s trajectory. It established the new expectation: that Columbia would compete annually for the nation’s top prospects, and that those prospects would choose the Gamecocks when given the chance to see what the program offers up close.
The 2026 class is the latest expression of that expectation being met. Three players ranked in the top 20 nationally. A hidden gem already embedded in the program. A fourth-place national ranking. And a head coach whose ability to develop and deploy the players she recruits has become the most powerful recruiting tool she possesses.
What It Means for South Carolina’s Future
The timing of this class’s arrival is significant. The four seniors being honored Thursday night — Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, Madina Okot, and Maryam Dauda — have set a standard for what it means to wear the garnet and black at the highest level. The players coming in next season will inherit that standard, along with whatever postseason glory the current group adds to it between now and April.
Robinson’s profile as a pressure-seeking competitor who surpassed one of the country’s most celebrated young players on the all-time scoring list suggests she is ready for that inheritance. Wynn’s basketball IQ and vocal leadership mirror qualities that have defined South Carolina’s most impactful players under Staley. And Andrews’ skill set as a passing, shooting, glass-working big fits the program’s offensive architecture as precisely as a piece designed for it.
Dawn Staley is 12 months away from losing her current senior class and the two-time national championship pedigree they represent. The 2026 recruiting class suggests she is not particularly worried about what comes next.
She rarely is. And the rankings, year after year, suggest she is right not to be.
