The return of Watkins doesn’t just complete the roster. It creates a frontcourt depth situation that no program in the country can match.
When Ashlyn Watkins made her return to South Carolina official, it didn’t just answer the biggest question surrounding the 2026-27 Gamecocks — it fundamentally changed the ceiling of what this team can become. Option A was always the most straightforward projection on paper. Now, with Watkins officially back, it has become the most terrifying lineup in women’s college basketball.
Here is the full projected starting five:
PG — Maddy McDaniel | JR · 5-9
SG — Tessa Johnson | SR · 6-0
WING — Agot Makeer | SO · 6-2
PF — Chloe Kitts | R-SR · 6-3
C — Ashlyn Watkins | SR · 6-4 ↩
Breaking Down the Lineup
Maddy McDaniel — The Foundation That Never Moves
Every great lineup needs an architect, and McDaniel is precisely that for this South Carolina team. Dawn Staley’s decision to enter the offseason without pursuing a transfer point guard competitor was not an oversight — it was a declaration of trust in her junior guard that speaks louder than any recruiting headline. McDaniel controls tempo, distributes to the right players in the right moments, and provides the organizational intelligence that a frontcourt this powerful needs to operate at maximum efficiency.
In the Championship Blueprint, McDaniel’s job is actually simplified in the best possible way. When you have Watkins at the five, Kitts at the four, and Joyce Edwards waiting as your first reserve, defenses cannot afford to cheat off anyone. Every kickout, every drive-and-kick, every early offense opportunity becomes a genuine threat — and McDaniel is the player orchestrating all of it.
Tessa Johnson — The Senior Backbone
Johnson’s value to this lineup extends well beyond her individual production. At 6-foot and in the final year of her college career, she brings a quiet leadership and defensive reliability that keeps this starting five grounded during the inevitable high-stakes moments of a championship-caliber season.
Her versatility matters here too. Johnson showed the ability to slide into backup point guard duties in short stints last season — giving Staley the luxury of keeping the offense functional even when McDaniel needs a rest, without disrupting the rhythm of a frontcourt that is operating at a historic level of depth.
Agot Makeer — The Wing Anchor
At 6-2 and entering her sophomore year, Makeer earns the starting wing designation on the basis of size and defensive profile. In South Carolina’s system — where the wing position has evolved since the Brea Beal era into a role defined more by length and defensive versatility than positional rigidity — Makeer’s physical tools make her the ideal fit alongside this particular backcourt pairing.
Her starting role also serves a critical lineup management purpose: keeping either Johnson or Jordan Lee on the floor at all times gives Staley a reliable perimeter option in every rotation grouping, and slotting Makeer as the starter allows both Johnson and Lee to operate more naturally as ball-handlers when they share the floor together in reserve minutes.
Chloe Kitts — The All-American at the Four
There is no overstating what Kitts brings to this lineup when healthy. A redshirt senior All-American at 6-3, she is one of the most complete power forwards in the country — a player with the shooting range to step away from the basket and space the floor, the post physicality to hold her own against the SEC’s best bigs, and the experience of having competed in the biggest games on the biggest stages.
The ACL recovery remains the one genuine variable in this projection. If Kitts is fully healthy and operating at the level she showed before the injury, the four spot on this team is occupied by one of the two or three best players at her position in the entire country. A healthy Kitts alongside Watkins gives South Carolina a frontcourt tandem that opposing coaches will be drawing up contingency plans for throughout the entire preseason.
Ashlyn Watkins — The Single Biggest Unlock
And then there is Watkins. The coaching analysis from the projected rotation captures the moment perfectly: “Watkins’ return is the single biggest unlock for this roster. A dominant shot-blocker and rebounder at 6-4 anchoring the five, with Kitts at the four and Joyce Edwards coming off the bench as the best reserve in the country — this is a historic frontcourt depth situation. Two All-Americans in the starting five, a third as the first sub.”
Read that again. Two All-Americans in the starting five. A third as the first reserve off the bench.
That is not a rotation. That is a dynasty in the making.
Watkins at 6-4 is the paint anchor that this entire lineup was built around. Her shot-blocking ability alone changes how opponents approach the paint on every single possession — drives that would be routine layups against most centers become contested, altered, or outright rejected against Watkins. Her rebounding dominance on both ends eliminates second-chance opportunities for opponents while generating them consistently for South Carolina.
Beyond the raw physical impact, Watkins’ return sends a message to every program in the country about the gravitational pull of Dawn Staley’s culture. Players come back to South Carolina. They choose this program, this coaching staff, and this environment over every other option available to them. That kind of culture-driven decision-making is the foundation of sustained championship success.
The Joyce Edwards Luxury Problem
The most extraordinary aspect of Option A is what it does to the rotation behind the starting five.
Joyce Edwards — an All-American in her own right, the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s World Cup gold medalist, and arguably the most versatile frontcourt player on this roster — comes off the bench as the first reserve.
As the coaching analysis acknowledges directly: “Joyce Edwards sliding to bench is a luxury problem — but a real adjustment.”
That framing is exactly right. Having an All-American sixth man is not a problem in any conventional sense. It is the kind of roster construction that championship teams dream about. Edwards’ ability to function as either a four or a five in matchup-dependent situations gives Staley a chess piece that most coaches would gladly build their entire starting lineup around — and South Carolina has her coming off the bench.
The adjustment is real, though. Edwards has been a foundational starter, and transitioning to a reserve role — even a glorified, high-impact one — requires buy-in, maturity, and a genuine understanding of how her contribution in that role elevates the entire team. Given everything we know about Edwards’ character and competitive drive, that adjustment is entirely manageable. But it is worth naming honestly rather than glossing over.
The Risk: Watkins’ Conditioning Timeline
For all of its historic potential, the Championship Blueprint carries one specific, clearly defined risk — and the coaching analysis states it plainly: “The key question is how quickly Watkins rounds back into full form. If she needs time to rebuild conditioning, Staley may ease her into a rotation role before locking her into the starting lineup.”
This is the most reasonable caution in any Option A projection. Returning from a significant absence — regardless of the reason — demands a physical ramp-up period that cannot always be accelerated on demand. If Watkins needs the first few weeks of the season to rebuild her conditioning baseline, Staley may wisely opt to bring her off the bench initially before transitioning her into the starting role as her body catches up to her talent.
That scenario is not a crisis. It is sound roster management. And critically, it does not change the ceiling of this lineup — it only potentially delays when that ceiling is reached.
What This Lineup Means for the SEC
Every team in the Southeastern Conference has spent this offseason preparing for a dangerous South Carolina team. Option A demands they upgrade those preparations significantly.
A starting five that averages 6-foot-1 in height, features two All-Americans with a third waiting at the first substitution, and is quarterbacked by a confident junior point guard operating within Dawn Staley’s championship-tested system is not just a formidable opponent. It is the standard against which every other program in the country will be measured in 2026-27.
The Championship Blueprint isn’t just the safest lineup option for South Carolina. With Ashlyn Watkins officially back and the roster fully assembled, it may simply be the best starting five in women’s college basketball.
Full stop. 🐔
