South Carolina basketball suffered a setback in its 2026 recruiting class on Tuesday, losing longtime commit Isaac Ellis. Ellis, who had been pledged to the Gamecocks since the summer with plans to join his older brother Eli Ellis at USC, chose to decommit and reclassify to the 2027 class.
With Ellis’ departure, four-star guard Marcus Johnson is now the lone remaining member of South Carolina’s 2026 class. Johnson officially signed with the Gamecocks last week, while Ellis never submitted paperwork.
Ellis said his decision was largely financial — though not for the typical NIL-related reasons people might assume.
Ellis shared the reasoning behind his move in a video posted to his social media. “First off, I’m not going to the NBA. I’m pretty self-aware about that…I know I have a really, really small chance of going to the league,” he said. He added, “I know that I have a really small [window to earn money playing basketball.]”
Currently playing for Moravian Prep in North Carolina and competing in the Overtime Elite league in Atlanta, Ellis is already eligible to profit from NIL opportunities — something both North Carolina and Georgia permit for high school athletes. Reclassifying gives him an extra year to take advantage before starting his college eligibility clock.
Another major factor in Ellis’ decision is the changing landscape of college basketball, where older, more seasoned rosters are increasingly valued over young prospects. That trend could intensify if the NCAA approves the expected five-year eligibility rule.
As Ellis put it, “It’s a new day and age. Being young is not a good thing right now.”
He also broke down his thinking very plainly: “Either you can make excuses and say that basketball is not right, or you can adjust to it. That’s all me and my family are doing.”
Ellis explained the financial logic behind reclassifying:
“If I go to school now and go to college now, I will have my freshman year, sophomore, junior, and senior years to make money. If I reclass, now I have one more year to make money with NIL deals, OTE, and all of that. Then, I have my freshman, sophomore, junior year, and senior year. By that time, the five-year rule in the NCAA will be passed. So, now, I went from four years of making money to six years.”
Ellis also believes taking an extra year before college will elevate his development. “I get to go into college as a better freshman. [I will be] stronger, faster, and more skilled with a better IQ. And I’ll be older. College coaches want older players right now.”
He added that this move could spark a new trend:
“I really think this could start a trend. I think a lot of guys will start reclassing just so that they can get an extra year and they can be better developed freshmen. Because nobody wants to go into college and not play…I don’t want to do that.”
For now, it’s unclear whether South Carolina will continue to pursue Ellis in the 2027 cycle.
When he committed last summer, the younger Ellis chose USC over Oklahoma State, Radford, and Eastern Kentucky. His offer list could expand now, especially as he continues to dominate at Overtime Elite, where he’s averaging around 30 points per game and emerging as an MVP frontrunner.
All signs point to Eli Ellis remaining content at South Carolina, and that connection could keep the door open for Isaac if both sides are still interested in the future.
According to the updated Rivals Industry Ranking, Ellis now sits as the No. 189 player nationally in the 2027 class, the No. 5 combo guard in the country, and the No. 9 overall prospect in North Carolina.
