South Carolina women's basketball: August recruiting update

South Carolina continues to make progress on the recruiting trail, adding offers and setting dates for visits. Get caught up on the Gamecocks’ activity.

Although there have been a handful of official visits for South Carolina and other programs, along with a handful of commitments, those are the exceptions. Most visits come in late August, September, and October, leading up to the November signing period when most players sign.

On Friday, South Carolina extended a scholarship offer to 2027 forward Zaniya Johnson of Biloxi, Mississippi. The 6-4 Johnson is the 17th-ranked prospect overall, and fourth-ranked forward by ESPN. She is ranked 20th overall and the sixth-ranked forward by Rivals.

Johnson is touted as one of the best players ever to come out of south Mississippi, so she naturally has been involved with the Bulldogs and Rebels for a long time. Johnson currently has offers from half of the SEC, but she’ll probably have an offer from the other half by the time things are all said and done. 

Johnson is a two-time Region Player of the Year who averaged 14.5 points and 8.6 rebounds as a sophomore last season. She already has 1,000 career points and will reach 1,000 career rebounds early next season.

There are also updates on two 2026 recruits. Forward Oliviyah Edwards set her official visit to South Carolina. She will be on campus the weekend of September 19-21. Edwards took an unofficial visit to South Carolina in January. 

Edwards has already taken her official visit to Southern Cal. She has official visits scheduled for Tennessee (September 12-14) and LSU (October 9-12).

Edwards is ESPN’s second-ranked prospect and Rivals’ fourth-ranked prospect. She is a superb athlete who can dunk, shoot, handle, rebound, and defend. Think of Ashlyn Watkins with more perimeter skills.

Edwards announced her top ten in June, with Notre Dame, Duke, Florida, Washington, Florida State, and North Carolina also included, but she seems to have narrowed her focus to a top four.

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2026 guard Aaliah Spaight, who the Gamecocks offered on July 22, has narrowed her focus to a top ten. That list includes. The Gamecocks, LSU, Texas, Texas Tech, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Arizona, and Arizona State.

Spaight is still setting her visits and has not scheduled a trip to Columbia yet.

Spaight, a 5-7 point guard from Las Vegas, is ranked 77th by ESPN, but her offers don’t reflect that ranking. Following South Carolina’s interest, North Carolina, LSU, Vanderbilt, and Texas all extended offers. She was the 2024 Nevada Gatorade State Player of the Year.

2027 guard Cece Arico announced last week that she is transferring from Detroit Country Day School in Michigan to prep powerhouse Long Island Lutheran. Arico is the daughter of Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. South Carolina offered the younger Arico last summer.

Long Island Lutheran is one of the top programs in the country and has produced recent stars like Syla and Savvy Swords, Kayleigh Heckel, Kate Koval, Olivia Jones, and Sanai Green. 2026 guard Emily McDonald, who recently picked up a Gamecock offer, will play for Long Island Lutheran this fall.

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