Kaylor Buse Trims Her List to Five, South Carolina Among the Finalists
The recruitment of one of the 2027 class’s top point guards has entered its final stretch. Kaylor Buse, a five-star prospect out of West Linn, Oregon, has narrowed her college decision down to five finalists, she told Rivals — and South Carolina has made the cut.
According to the announcement, Buse’s final group includes Utah, Washington, Oregon, South Carolina, and TCU — a mix of West Coast programs close to her Portland-area home and a marquee SEC power in the Gamecocks. She shared the news alongside a breakdown of her official visit schedule and her experience at each of the five schools, giving fans a glimpse into how each program is making its pitch.
The inclusion of two Pacific Northwest programs — Washington and Oregon — alongside in-state Utah reflects the pull of proximity for a player raised in the region. But South Carolina’s presence on the list is the headline for Gamecock fans, signaling that Dawn Staley’s program remains squarely in the mix for one of the position’s premier prospects nationally, despite being the farthest geographic outlier in her final five.
Buse’s recruitment has been closely tracked throughout the process, and South Carolina’s interest is no secret. The Gamecocks have been tied to the West Linn native for some time, with her hometown sitting just a short drive from Portland — the same city where Dawn Staley made her own headline-grabbing airport stop earlier this week. Whether that connection factors into her thinking is unclear, but the timing adds an interesting subplot to South Carolina’s pursuit.
With her list now set at five, attention turns to how Buse’s official visits unfold and when she might set a decision timeline. For a South Carolina program that has built a roster full of elite guards under Staley, landing a player of Buse’s caliber would continue a recruiting trend that’s helped keep the Gamecocks among the sport’s top-tier programs year after year.
No commitment date has been announced. As Buse continues to weigh her options between Utah, Washington, Oregon, South Carolina, and TCU, her recruitment will remain one of the more closely watched storylines in the 2027 class.
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