Dawn Staley shares insight on Gamecocks’ recruitment of Oliviyah Edwards
Dawn Staley put together one of the best recruiting classes in college women’s basketball in 2026.
The Gamecocks ‘26 class is ranked No. 2 in the country by ESPN. The class of five players touts three five-star recruits and a pair of four-stars.
The proverbial crown jewel of the class is five-star Oliviyah Edwards. The forward is ranked No. 3 in the class of 2026 by ESPN and is the highest ranked prospect in USC’s recruiting class. Jerzy Robinson is right behind her at No. 6.
South Carolina missed out on Edwards’ talents initially. However, Edwards “became a priority” for the Gamecocks after she reopened her recruitment in April, Staley told The State last week at SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida.
The Gamecocks were alongside Southern Cal, LSU, Tennessee, Florida and Washington in Edwards’ top six finalists in August 2025. Edwards was slotted to visit South Carolina in September but wound up committing to Tennessee, so the visit to Columbia never happened.
“She was supposed to come visit us before she committed to Tennessee,” Staley told The State. “She called me on her Tennessee visit to tell me that she’s committing [to Tennessee].”
Edwards ultimately signed with Tennessee in November. Flash forward five months later and the Lady Vols were facing a mass exodus in their program. A total of eight players transferred out and Tennessee assistant Gabe Lazo — who Edwards had developed a strong relationship with — left to be head coach at UCF (after he was briefly hired as an assistant by LSU).
On April 7, Edwards announced she’d been granted a release from her National Letter of Intent and would be reopening her recruitment. Edwards took a flurry of visits after. The Tacoma, Washington native notably spent time with South Carolina, Texas and Louisville.
“We were on her list. Quite naturally, you just kind of go down the list,” Staley told The State. “...Once we were able to talk to her, we weren’t the only school that she talked to. She was talking to a few of us.”
Edwards visited South Carolina the weekend of April 14. She was in town with the Gamecocks at the same time as Texas transfer Jordan Lee (who signed on April 23).
“I just felt like our coaches, our administrators, our players did a really great job when she came on her visit,” Staley told The State.
Just over a week after that visit, Edwards announced she’d committed to South Carolina. She officially signed with the Gamecocks on April 27.
“Sometimes it takes twice to get it right,” Edwards posted on social media.
Edwards brings a versatile skill set to Columbia. The 6-foot-3 forward can just about do it all on the court (including dunking). Staley has praised her “deep toolbox and elite intangibles.”
Edwards high school coach, Melanie Jones, believes she’ll be a perfect fit for Staley and the Gamecocks. She’ll have to fight for minutes among a deep group of talented, experienced post players at South Carolina but learning from players like Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards will only help.
The State’s Jordan Kaye contributed to the reporting of this article.
This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Dawn Staley shares insight on Gamecocks’ recruitment of Oliviyah Edwards."
