Dawn Staley’s 2026 recruiting class is headlined by five-star guard Jerzy Robinson, but two of the other pieces of that class — forwards Kaeli Wynn and Kelsi Andrews — have been quietly navigating injury recoveries that will shape how ready they are when they arrive in Columbia. The latest signs, while still incomplete, point in an encouraging direction.
Kaeli Wynn: Brace-Free and Eyes on the Future
Wynn, a 6-foot-2 forward from Mater Dei High School in California, suffered a dislocated knee in January 2025 and did not play for the rest of the season or over the summer circuit. The injury forced her to watch from the sidelines during what should have been her crowning senior season, but it did not shake her commitment to the Gamecocks. She signed in November, and her arrival in Columbia has never been in doubt.
The most recent visible signal is a positive one: Wynn was spotted in Sacramento during the NCAA Tournament without a brace — a meaningful development for someone coming off a knee dislocation. While it is not a confirmed medical update, the absence of a brace suggests her recovery is progressing well into its later stages.
Wynn herself has spoken about her mindset through the process with clarity and purpose.
“I’m just taking everything one day at a time,” Wynn said. “All I care about is winning and I know that’s the exact goal of the team at South Carolina. I’m going to get myself as healthy as possible so that I can play and contribute in any way that the coaches and players need me.”
That maturity under difficult circumstances is something those who know her say is not surprising given her background. Staley praised Wynn’s mental makeup when she signed: “Coming from a basketball family, Kaeli’s IQ and appreciation for the game’s intricacies add another level to her physical skill set. She has an unbelievable will to win, but her ability to involve everyone on the team and ensure buy-in to the team goals are what separates her from her peers. She is a perfect fit for our program.”
Wynn’s basketball IQ comes naturally — both of her parents are coaches , and her mother played at Southern Cal alongside Lisa Leslie before going into coaching at Long Beach and Washington. The family foundation shows in how Wynn has handled adversity; rather than letting the injury define her senior year, she leaned into a leadership role with her Mater Dei teammates.
“Leadership for me is a lot more important because it’s the only thing I can do to contribute to my team right now,” Wynn said earlier in her recovery.
The missing brace is not the finish line, but it is a clear sign that Wynn’s rehabilitation is moving in the right direction. Whether she arrives at South Carolina ready to contribute immediately in the 2026-27 season or needs more time early on remains to be seen — but the trajectory is encouraging.
Kelsi Andrews: Playing Again, Progress Ongoing
Andrews’ story involves more scar tissue than most incoming freshmen would ever carry. She has suffered three major knee injuries — tearing her right ACL in 2022, her left ACL in 2023, and then in October 2025, tearing her meniscus and bone cartilage in the same knee, requiring another successful surgery.
Despite each setback, the 6-foot-4 post from IMG Academy in Florida kept showing up. She won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship after the first ACL tear, then returned to win another gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup after tearing the other one. Her physical and mental resilience has been a consistent theme throughout her recruitment — and it was not lost on Staley when she decided to pursue Andrews as far back as middle school.
Andrews acknowledged that loyalty when she committed, and has been direct about what it meant:
“South Carolina just felt right,” Andrews told ESPN. “The people, the culture, and the way they care about you beyond basketball reminded me why I fell in love with the game in the first place. Coach Law was one of the first coaches to watch me play back in seventh grade, and from that moment, they’ve been consistent ever since. Through both of my ACL tears, Coach Staley never left my side — and that meant everything to me.”
After her October surgery, Andrews was playing again by the end of her high school season , which is a positive development given the unknown recovery timeline at the time of the procedure. The specific details of where she stands medically remain limited, as her camp has gone quiet with the media in recent weeks — a common occurrence as players manage their health privately ahead of their college arrivals.
Staley’s public assessment of what Andrews brings speaks to why South Carolina never wavered: “Kelsi brings a unique combination of size, skill and versatility that perfectly fit how we want to play. Her basketball IQ, defensive presence and resilience make her a special addition to our Gamecock family. And with her ability to score inside, stretch the floor with her 3-point shot and impact the game on both ends of the court, she has the potential to continue our legacy of elite frontcourt players.”
What It All Means for South Carolina’s Future
With Madina Okot heading to the WNBA draft and several senior contributors departing, South Carolina’s frontcourt next season will lean heavily on returning players like Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins — both coming back from their own injury absences — alongside the incoming freshmen class. Staley has already acknowledged that the frontline looks solid heading into next year: “I think our front line is pretty good, especially the ones that are coming back from injury, coming back to our team.”
That optimism extends to Andrews and Wynn. The health clouds over both players are thinning. Andrews was back on the court before her senior season ended. Wynn is no longer in a brace. Neither update is a full clearance — but both point toward a program that continues to build with the long view in mind, trusting its players to develop and recover under one of the most proven coaching staffs in the sport.
