4-star Kelsi Andrews is first 2026 commitment for Dawn Staley, Gamecocks
Dawn Staley has landed her first commitment from a Class of 2026 recruit.
Four-star forward Kelsi Andrews announced her pledge to South Carolina women’s basketball on social media Tuesday.
Andrews is ranked No. 18 in espnW’s Class of 2026 top 100 rankings. She is the highest-rated four-star recruit in espnW’s top 100.
Listed at 6-foot-3, she is ranked as the No. 2 center in her class by 247Sports. Andrews plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in Florida by 247Sports.
Andrews recently took an official visit to South Carolina on the weekend of Sept. 26. She also took official visits to Auburn, Virginia, LSU and Mississippi State, according to her social media. South Carolina beat out blue bloods like Ohio State, Duke, North Carolina, LSU and Notre Dame (among others) who had offered Andrews, per On3.
“In a class that lacks true interior options, Andrews has battled back from a couple of lower leg injuries to put herself in the Top 10 discussion overall,” 247Sports’ director of scouting Brandon Clay said in a scouting report. “She went toe-to-toe with classmate Olivia Vukosa at Overtime Select in one of the better individual matchups of the summer. In the process, Andrews showed some touch around the rim in addition to rebounding the basketball in the paint. She is also looking to be a factor facing the basket with her short jumper.”
Andrews helped IMG win a high school national championship in April after beating Monteverde Academy 80-78 in overtime. She finished with a double-double after recording 12 points and 13 rebounds in the game.
The forward also has already had success on the international stage.
In 2023 she won a gold medal in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship with Team USA after averaging 6.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and a team-leading 1.7 blocks. In 2024, she won another gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup after she averaged 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in seven games. She also participated in the Team USA U19 national team trials this year.
