South Carolina’s Recruiting Board: Where the Gamecocks Stand With the Rivals Top 30
With summer travel season over and official visits now taking shape, South Carolina’s recruiting picture for the current class is coming into focus — and with as few as three scholarship spots remaining, the Gamecocks are being highly selective about who they pursue.
The clearest fading target is Kaleena “KK” Smith, the top-ranked point guard in the class. Once considered a “generational talent,” she and South Carolina now appear to have mutually moved on, with no visit to Columbia on her schedule as of August.
Two prospects stand out as South Carolina’s strongest remaining targets. Jezelle “GG” Banks, the No. 4 overall prospect, has been on South Carolina’s radar “for a long time, since before she became a top-five prospect,” and the Gamecocks reportedly like her “as much or more than Smith.” Banks has confirmed official visits to South Carolina, LSU, Texas, and Ohio State. Right behind her is wing Jordyn Palmer, who has emerged as South Carolina’s “top frontcourt target” and has visits scheduled to South Carolina and Ohio State in September.
Wing Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka remains a real possibility, described as fitting “the mold of a Gamecock player: physical and defensive-minded,” though she appears to be leaning toward other programs as of the latest update. Fellow wing Micah Ojo also remains in play, with the note that South Carolina “probably only focuses on bringing in one player” among its top wing targets given existing depth from Jerzy Robinson and Agot Makeer.
Several other names carry real but longer-shot interest. Post Zaniya Johnson recently placed South Carolina in her top 12 after receiving an offer last summer. Guard Avery Arije, who played alongside Makeer at Crestwood Prep in Canada, named South Carolina to her top six back in May, though her scheduled visits (Notre Dame, Duke) don’t currently include Columbia. Wing Ashley MacCalla picked up a Gamecocks offer after a strong summer that boosted her ranking nearly 10 spots. Point guard Taylor Brown, offered in late May, is seen as a name South Carolina takes seriously — not simply “a consolation prize” behind Smith and Banks.
Several targets have already come off the board entirely, committing elsewhere: Caroline Bradley (LSU), Eve Long (Notre Dame), Sydney Mobley (Ohio State), Jayla Forbes (Texas), Miciah Fusilier (Baylor), Lauren Hassell (Vanderbilt), and Ogechi Okeke (Baylor), among others who either excluded South Carolina from their top lists or never showed mutual interest.
Overall, the board reflects a program narrowing its focus to a handful of realistic targets — primarily Banks and Palmer — while keeping a broader net out for players like Wilson-Manyacka, Ojo, Johnson, Arije, MacCalla, and Brown as the fall visit period plays out.
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