Oliviyah Edwards' commitment has elevated South Carolina's women's basketball recruiting class to No. 2 for 2026. The Gamecocks were previously ranked fourth before her addition.
Key points
South Carolina women's basketball has the No. 2 ranked recruiting class for 2026.
Oliviyah Edwards is a 6-foot-3 five-star forward.
Edwards was previously committed to Tennessee before joining South Carolina.
The Gamecocks moved up from fourth to second in the rankings.
Mentioned in this story
Dawn Staley
South Carolina GamecocksOliviyah Edwards
Oliviyah Edwards improves Dawn Staley's recruit rankings, but South Carolina not No. 1
Edwards is a 6-foot-3 five-star forward ranked third in her class. She decommitted from Tennessee on April 7, visited South Carolina on April 14 and committed to the Gamecocks nine days later.
Southern Cal still holds the No. 1 overall spot, driven by Saniyah Hall who is the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2026, followed by No. 5 Sara Okeke.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts with Joyce Edwards #8 in the game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Q&A
How did Oliviyah Edwards impact South Carolina's recruiting class ranking?
Oliviyah Edwards' commitment improved South Carolina's women's basketball recruiting class ranking from fourth to second for 2026.
What is Oliviyah Edwards' ranking among her peers?
Oliviyah Edwards is ranked third in her class and is a five-star forward.
When did Oliviyah Edwards commit to South Carolina?
Oliviyah Edwards committed to South Carolina on April 23, 2023, after visiting the campus on April 14.
Which team currently holds the No. 1 recruiting class for 2026?
As of the latest rankings, South Carolina is not ranked No. 1; the current top team has not been specified in the provided information.
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TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Chloe Kitts #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after beating the Texas Longhorns 74-57 in the Final Four game of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on April 04, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson (5) celebrates after defeating the UConn Huskies during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - DECEMBER 08: Ashlyn Watkins #2 of the South Carolina Gamecocks drives against Aaliyah Roberson #23 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half in the USLBM Coast to Coast Challenge Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic at Dickies Arena on December 08, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Agot Makeer (44) celebrates their 62-48 win over the Connecticut Huskies in their NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 3, 2026.
Mar 30, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Maddy McDaniel (1) pushes the ball up the court during the first quarter of the game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in an Elite Eight game in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Alicia Tournebize #31 of the South Carolina Gamecocks brings the ball up the court against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 25: Adhel Tac #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts in the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores during their game at Colonial Life Arena on January 25, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Mar 21, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ayla McDowell (24) drives against the Southern Jaguars in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts with Joyce Edwards #8 in the game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts with Joyce Edwards #8 in the game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Chloe Kitts #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after beating the Texas Longhorns 74-57 in the Final Four game of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on April 04, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson (5) celebrates after defeating the UConn Huskies during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - DECEMBER 08: Ashlyn Watkins #2 of the South Carolina Gamecocks drives against Aaliyah Roberson #23 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half in the USLBM Coast to Coast Challenge Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Classic at Dickies Arena on December 08, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Agot Makeer (44) celebrates their 62-48 win over the Connecticut Huskies in their NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 3, 2026.
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Maddy McDaniel, South Carolina women's basketball guard for Gamecocks, Dawn Staley
Mar 30, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Maddy McDaniel (1) pushes the ball up the court during the first quarter of the game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in an Elite Eight game in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
7 / 9
Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Alicia Tournebize #31 of the South Carolina Gamecocks brings the ball up the court against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)
8 / 9
Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 25: Adhel Tac #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts in the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores during their game at Colonial Life Arena on January 25, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
9 / 9
Dawn Staley's South Carolina women's basketball 2026-27 roster with portal additions
Mar 21, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ayla McDowell (24) drives against the Southern Jaguars in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
South Carolina No. 2 in ESPN's final 2026 recruiting class rankings
Before this year, Staley has had four top-two classes, her first No. 1 class in 2019 and another in 2021. She's had two No. 2 recruiting classes in 2014 and 2023.
While Edwards was the main reason why Staley went from the fourth to second best class of recruits this cycle, she wasn't the final piece to the roster.
On April 29, Justine Loubens became the fifth player Staley's class. She is a 6-1 shooting guard from France, who played professionally for La Roche Vendée Basket Club. She's ranked as a four-star by ESPN.
Staley's first 2026 signee was four-star 6-3 forward Kelsi Andrews (No. 30 prospect), then 6-2 five-star Kaeli Wynn (No. 19 prospect), followed by No. 6 prospect Jerzy Robinson, a five-star 6-foot guard.
South Carolina has four top-30 signees with two top-6 and also added Jordan Lee via the transfer portal. She's a 6-foot guard who played two seasons at Texas and was ranked the second-best player in the portal by ESPN.
The Gamecocks were the only SEC women's team to not lose anyone to the transfer portal this offseason.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
