ESPN analyst breaks down South Carolina WBB’s 2026 recruiting class
South Carolina women’s basketball finished the 2026 recruiting cycle with one of the best classes in the country.
Dawn Staley’s 2026 class was ranked No. 2 by ESPN women’s basketball recruiting analyst Shane Laflin. The Gamecocks will welcome in five freshmen: Kelsi Andrews, Kaeli Wynn, Jerzy Robinson, Oliviyah Edwards and Justine Loubens.
Laflin told The State that South Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class stacks up well with some of the other talented recruiting classes Staley’s has brought to USC.
“Dawn doesn’t bring in untalented classes,” Laflin said. “But, I mean, this is two top-five talents, right? And then two others that had been injured and very well could have been higher than that. It’s just kind of how the chips fell for them. This class stacks up there. ... Four kids in the top 30, two of them essentially top-five players in that range. It’s got to be up there.”
Four-star forward Kelsi Andrews
Andrews was the first commitment in Staley’s 2026 recruiting class. The forward from IMG Academy announced her decision Oct. 7 and signed Nov. 12.
Andrews is listed at 6-foot-3 and is ranked No. 30 nationally in the class by ESPN. She was the highest four-star in ESPN’s rankings but dropped a bit after suffering a torn meniscus in late October.
“You’re adding a big in Kelsi Andrews that we all hope can get back to being healthy,” Laflin said. “But when she’s healthy, was quite the active motor and presence inside, and that’s obviously a staple of the program in that very big and athletic conference, and how Dawn’s had success.”
Laflin described Andrews as a “five player” and her high school coach, Frank Oliver Jr, told The State that he feels Andrews’ skillset is reminiscent of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
“Andrews is a formidable post presence,” Laflin recently wrote for ESPN. “She works the offensive glass, can finish with either hand around the rim and can stretch the floor. She is also a quality high-low passer, making her a valuable addition to a program like the Gamecocks, who use their bigs.”
Five-star forward Kaeli Wynn
Wynn committed to South Carolina on Nov. 11 and signed the next day.
The 6-foot-2 forward is a five-star prospect and ranked No. 19 in the class by ESPN. Wynn was the first of three five-stars to commit to South Carolina for 2026. She’s a product of Mater Dei High School in California.
Like Andrews, she also dealt with some injury issues in her senior year of high school.
“Kaeli Wynn [is] a multi faceted forward kind of in that same mold as Chloe Kitts, in that they’re feisty, and versatile, and they understand the game,” Laflin told The State. “Something that’s always been really cool about Kaeli to me is, she’s like a coach on the floor. Her parents are coaches. I joked with her before she got injured about being maybe the first player-coach at McDonald’s All-American just because she’s that active, talking on the floor, on the bench, and those things.”
Five-star guard Jerzy Robinson
Robinson was one of the most highly touted players in the Class of 2026.
Robinson committed to South Carolina a few days before Christmas (Dec. 23, to be exact) and signed on April 15.
She’s a five-star prospect who is ranked No. 6 overall and is the No. 3 guard in ESPN’s rankings of the class. Robinson, who is listed at 6-foot, is originally from Arizona but played most of her high school ball at Sierra Canyon in California. She passed Southern Cal star JuJu Watkins as Sierra Canyon’s all-time leading scorer in her senior year.
“[Robinson’s] one of the more physical guards, if not the most physical perimeter player in the class,” Laflin said. “…Very determined, very confident. In my opinion, played the best basketball of her career at times during her senior year.”
Laflin believes Robinson has the best odds at making an immediate impact for South Carolina in her freshman year.
“I think an underrated part of Jerzy’s game is that I’ve seen her slide into that [point guard] spot and do that on multiple occasions, whether it was USA basketball or Hoop Summit,” Laflin said. “... So I think there’s an opportunity for her there.”
Five-star forward Oliviyah Edwards
Edwards is the highest-rated recruit in South Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-3 forward is a five-star prospect ranked No. 3 in the class by ESPN. Edwards’ commitment alone to USC was a large reason Staley’s class had an argument to be No. 1 in the country, Laflin said.
“It shoots them up into the discussion of the best class in terms of talent,” he said. “... Adding Oliviyah late certainly shoots them into that conversation that they were not in before adding Oliviyah.”
Edwards was initially signed to Tennessee but was granted a release in April and reopened her recruitment. She visited South Carolina soon after and committed to the Gamecocks on April 23 before singing on April 27.
Edwards is a “massive outlier of a talent” who is similar to Joyce Edwards, Laflin told The State.
“She’s a skilled and multifaceted 6-3 forward who creates constant matchup problems,” Laflin wrote for ESPN. “She stretches the floor as a face-up shooter, can attack off the bounce and has the dexterity to finish with either hand at the rim.”
French prospect Justin Loubens
Loubens was a late addition to South Carolina’s recruiting class. The Frenchwoman signed with Staley and the Gamecocks on April 29.
Since she’s an international prospect, Loubens is not ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 recruits for the Class of 2026. However, Laflin considers Loubens as a four-star recruit.
The 6-foot-1 guard/forward comes to South Carolina off a stint with La Roche Vendee, a professional team in France’s premier women’s pro league. She averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 63.9% from the field in 24 games.
Loubens was a teammate with current South Carolina forward Alicia Tournebize on the French National Team for competition in 2024 and 2024.
“Loubens, from France, understands spacing and can play all over the floor,” Laflin wrote. “A lefty forward, she can knock down the corner 3 or the straight line drive. She moves well without the basketball and is skilled at reading spacing and knowing when to get into position for an easy bucket.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 8:10 AM with the headline "ESPN analyst breaks down South Carolina WBB’s 2026 recruiting class."
