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On Tuesday, Kelsi Andrews became South Carolina’s first commit in the class of 2026. Get to know Andrews and what her commitment means for the Gamecocks.

In a ceremony at IMG Academy on Tuesday afternoon, Andrews announced she would be joining “Dawn’s Daycare.”

“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.”

Who is Kelsi Andrews?At 6-4, Andrews has been listed as both a post and forward by recruiting services. She is ranked 18th overall by HoopGurlz and 30th overall by Rivals/On3. She fits the mold of a modern post: equally comfortable in the low post or stepping out to hit the three.

South Carolina began recruiting her in middle school, something that mattered when it came time for Andrews to make her decision.

“(Jolette) 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,” she told ESPN. “Through both of my ACL tears, Coach Staley never left my side – and that meant everything to me.”

Andrews comes from an athletic background. Her father, Carlos, played football at Alabama, and her mother, Jamilah Johns, played basketball at LSU and Alabama, where she led the Crimson Tide in rebounding as a senior. Her mother is 6-4 like Kelsi, and later became a coach.

Why should I be excited about her?Andrews had 12 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in IMG’s 80-78 win over Montverde at the Chipotle Nationals. That Montverde team featured Gamecock freshman Agot Makeer and Saniyah Hall, the top-ranked prospect in the 2026 class.

Andrews also has a pair of gold medals from playing with USA Basketball. She averaged 6.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and a team-high 1.7 blocks at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Merida, Mexico. In 2024, Andrews averaged 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Leon, Mexico.

Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but both times she was coming off major injuries. The fact that she even made the teams should be applauded.

Are there any concerns?Andrews has torn both ACLs, the right in 2022 and the left in 2023. That is obviously concerning, and it’s a major reason the one-time top ten prospect has fallen to around 20.

The good news is that she appears to be fully recovered, and her stock is once again rising. She jumped from 30th to 20th in the last Rivals/On3 rankings. South Carolina clearly believes in Andrews’ upside.

Does this mean South Carolina is out of the running for Olivia Vukosa?Only Vukosa, the third-ranked overall prospect, can answer that. Vukosa. 6-4 posts don’t grow on trees, so South Carolina would happily bring in two of the top bigs in the class and figure out how to make it work later, as the Gamecocks did with Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso.

If Vukosa goes elsewhere, then South Carolina still feels like it has its big for the future.

Who could be the next commitment?None of South Carolina’s remaining targets has announced a decision date. Vukosa is supposed to visit in the coming weeks, as is Lola Lampley (October 16). Brihanna Crittenden, Sara Okeke, and Jerzy Robinson could visit as well.

Somto Okafor, Sitaya Fagan, Emily McDonald, and Kaeli Wynn have already visited. Fagan is finished with her visits, while the others are keeping quiet.

COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball and coach Dawn Staley have their first commit for the class of 2026.

Kelsi Andrews, the No. 18 recruit in ESPN's rankings, announced her decision on Oct. 7, not long after taking her official visit to Columbia. Andrews is 6-foot-4 and plays for IMG Academy in Florida. She previously played for Auburn High School in Alabama.

She is a five-star recruit and the No. 2 center in her class according to the 247Sports Composite. She is the No. 1 recruit from Florida and No. 19 nationally. She's listed as both a forward and center. ESPN lists her as a four-star recruit.

Andrews also visited Auburn, Mississippi State, LSU and Virginia.

Andrews won a gold medal with the United States at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and participated in the 2025 USA Women’s U19 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2025.

Staley recently missed out on two top-six recruits. Oliviyah Edwards, the No. 2 ranked player in the class of 2026, committed to Tennessee on Sept. 13, and canceled her official visit with the Gamecocks. McKenna Woliczko, a five-star power forward and the No. 6 recruit, announced her commitment to Iowa on Oct. 1.

Five-star, No. 3 recruit in the class Olivia Vukosa has South Carolina in her top five along with LSU, UConn, Ohio State and Texas. Staley recently hosted Sitaya Fagan, who is 6-2 from Australia, and Somto Okafor, who is 5-9 from Barcelona, for official visits.

Staley is also recruiting Kaeli Wynn, the No. 17 player in the class who is a five-star, 6-2 forward. Lola Lampley, the No. 29 prospect in ESPN's rankings is set to take her official visit on Oct. 16, according to 247Sports.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at . Follow her on X and Bluesky

Kelsi Andrews, the No. 18 recruit and No. 4 post player in the girls' 2026 SC Next 100 class, has committed to Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women's basketball team.

The 6-foot-3 Andrews chose the Gamecocks over Virginia, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Baylor, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Ohio State, among others.

"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."

Andrews is the first commit in the class of 2026 for the Gamecocks. Staley had recruited her since before high school, and she recently visited Columbia.

"[Assistant coach Jolette] 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," she said. "Through both of my ACL tears, Coach Staley never left my side -- and that meant everything to me."

The Alabama native comes from a long line of bigs from the FBC club program out of Georgia that has sent Kamilla Cardoso, Ashlyn Watkins and Joyce Edwards to South Carolina. After two years in her home state, Andrews transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for her junior and senior high school seasons.

Andrews is a strong, physical post player who excels at working the offensive glass and even can stretch the floor. After tearing her right ACL in 2022, she won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in 2023. Following a left ACL tear later that year, she returned to Team USA and won a gold medal at the FIBA U17 World Cup in 2024.

This summer for FBC, she again proved she was physically back and ready to compete at a high level, showing increased defensive mobility and activity on the Under Armour circuit.

South Carolina remains in the mix for international prospects Sara Okeke (Spain) and Sitaya Fagan (Australia), as well as five-stars Jerzy Robinson (No. 5) and Kaeli Wynn (No. 17), in the 2026 class.

The Gamecocks enter the 2025-26 season with the fourth-best recruiting class behind No. 4 Agot Makeer and No. 15 Ayla McDowell. They will be looking to return to the Final Four for a fifth consecutive year and are hoping to avenge a blowout loss in last year's title game to UConn.

Top 20 forward Kelsi Andrews will announce her commitment on Tuesday, October 7. She recently visited South Carolina.

Along with Spanish guard Somto Okafor, Andrews visited South Carolina the weekend of September 26. Prior to that, Andrews had visited Virginia (August 31), Auburn (September 5), LSU (September 12), and Mississippi State (September 19).

Andrews revealed on social media on Friday that she will announce her commitment on Tuesday, October 7, at 6:00 pm ET. Additional details about the announcement were not immediately available.

South Carolina has been recruiting Andrews practically since middle school. She was a top ten prospect before knee injuries in 2022 and 2023 hurt her ranking.

At 6-4, Andrews has been listed as both a post and forward by recruiting services. She is ranked 18th overall by HoopGurlz and 30th overall by Rivals/On3. She fits the mold of a modern post: equally comfortable in the low post or stepping out to hit the three.

Andrews has had a nomadic high school career. She attended two different schools in her home state of Alabama before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for her junior and senior seasons, and is finally healthy again.

Andrews had 12 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in IMG’s 80-78 win over Montverde at the Chipotle Nationals. That Montverde team featured Gamecock freshman Agot Makeer and Saniyah Hall, the top-ranked prospect in the 2026 class.

Andrews also played for FBC United, the same club that produced Joyce Edwards, Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, Ashlyn Watkins, Kamilla Cardoso, and former Gamecock MiLaysia Fulwiley.

Andrews comes from an athletic background. Her father played football at Alabama, and her mother played basketball at LSU and Alabama, where she led the Crimson Tide in rebounding as a senior. Her mother later became a coach.