South Carolina's football and basketball teams are at different points in their respective campaigns. While the Gamecock football team recently finished its regular season, both the men's and women's basketball teams are just a few weeks away from conference play.
But late November and early December are pivotal months in all three programs' calendars, as they aim to secure commitments from future student-athletes who will play for South Carolina for the 2025-26 season. The early signing period — which, for football, closes on Friday, Dec. 6 — allows teams to re-tool their rosters and build on previous success with an influx of new talent.
Here is where these respective Gamecocks sports teams stand in recruiting players for next season.
Football
The No. 14 South Carolina football team finished its regular season with a 17-14 win over in-state rival Clemson. While the Gamecocks' 2024 season is not yet over, it still has a bowl game to play, having won at least six games. Head football coach Shane Beamer is set to bring in newcomers who will have an opportunity to break into the team next year.
South Carolina's current recruiting class ranks No. 20 nationally, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. South Carolina also ranks 12th in the SEC, putting the team near the bottom of the conference recruiting rankings.
The commitment of 25 total players, including 7 four-star and 17 three-star recruits, will replenish roster spots that will be vacated by veteran players who have run out of eligibility, declared for the NFL Draft or have been elected to enter the transfer portal.
The Gamecocks' highest-rated recruit thus far is four-star wide receiver and Rock Hill, South Carolina native Malik Clark, who committed to the program on Oct. 5. Clark, the No. 2 ranked recruit in South Carolina, amassed 976 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns during his senior campaign at Rock Hill High School.
South Carolina's class of 2025 includes four more wide receivers, including four-stars Lex Cyrus and Brian Rowe. Cyrus recorded 1,036 all-purpose yards and 11 total touchdowns in his senior season, while also excelling in track and field. Rowe put together 50 receptions and 1,063 receiving yards in his junior season.
Kendell Daniels Jr., a four-star safety from Norfolk, Virginia, is the team's highest-ranked defensive recruit. Daniels Jr. helped Maury High School to a 15-0 record and the Virginia Class 5 state championship in his junior season.
Jayden Sellers, the younger brother of redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers, is also set to join the team. Jayden Sellers, who verbally committed to South Carolina on Oct. 26, 2023, is a three-star wide receiver and native of Florence, South Carolina, who will look to join his brother on the offensive side of the ball for the 2025 season.
Beamer's recruitment efforts have extended beyond high school, with the acquisition of the No. 1 JUCO recruit, Zavion Hardy, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Hardy, a four-star defensive lineman from East Mississippi Community College, has a notable track record. He earned first-team All-MACCC honors in 2024 and demonstrated his prowess with 24 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a freshman in 2023. It's worth noting that Hardy was initially committed to South Carolina’s 2023 class straight out of high school.
Men's basketball
The South Carolina men's basketball team is eight games into its 2024-25 season, boasting a 5-3 overall record. Even with the sport's early signing period falling on Nov. 20, head men's basketball coach Lamont Paris has continued to attract talent to the program.
The Gamecocks' corps of four incoming freshmen for the 2025-26 season was rated No. 17 in the country, the first time South Carolina appeared in the top 20 since Paris' hire in March 2022.
The highest-rated recruit of the class is four-star guard Eli Ellis, a 6-foot-1 guard from Hickory, North Carolina who is ranked No. 64 nationally, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Ellis, a social media sensation with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, was named Overtime Elite MVP last season as a member of the YNG Dreamerz after averaging 33.4 points, 5.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Ellis will be joined by another alumnus of his high school, Moravian Prep — 6-foot-6 forward Hayden Assemian, who verbally committed to South Carolina on Sept. 26. Assemian, a three-star recruit from Greenville, South Carolina, also competes with Ellis in the Overtime Elite league and is averaging 4.5 points and 8.8 rebounds this season.
The Gamecocks have received commitments from two additional players: 6-foot-8 forward EJ Walker, a three-star prospect, No. 2 recruit from the state of Kentucky and fellow three-star Grant Polk, a 6-foot-6 forward from Washington, D.C.
Women's basketball
The Gamecocks are coming off a historic 38-0 season that propelled them to lift the NCAA women's basketball championship trophy at the end of the last NCAA tournament.
South Carolina has since started the 2024-25 campaign with a 7-1 overall record. But before the team's regular season tipped off, it signed its first player from the class of 2025: five-star guard Ayla McDowell, a native of Cypress, Texas.
McDowell — the No. 22 overall recruit, according to ESPNW 100 — averaged 19.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists as a junior at Cypress Springs High School.McDowell competed for Brazil in the 2024 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup, leading the team's stats with 14.8 points per game, which was the second-highest average in the tournament.
“Ayla is an elite wing who can score at all three levels and is a Swiss army knife on defense with the ability to guard every position,” Staley said in a statement on GamecocksOnline. “She is blessed with great size and athleticism that allow her to impact the game on both ends of the floor."
Deadlines
The regular signing period for Division I football opens on Feb. 25 and runs until April 1, 2025. The window for Division I men's and women's basketball begins on April 16 and concludes on May 21, 2025.