As college athletics evolve, Dawn Staley hangs on to core recruiting beliefs
Ask Tessa Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson and Joyce Edwards how they’d describe Dawn Staley as a recruiter, and you’ll get the same answer three times.
“Real.”
Staley is entering her 18th season as head coach of the South Carolina women’s basketball team. Despite so many changes in college athletics, especially in the last five years, she believes her recruiting philosophy remains the same.
Focus on building relationships, and be honest about program expectations, playing time and revenue opportunities.
“I know there’s money involved now — I don’t change,” Staley said. “I am a stickler for what we have. I highlight the things that have enriched our program. We’re a disciplined program. We’re gonna do things the right way.”
An approach built on transparency has clearly worked for Staley during her tenure as South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach. She’s won 475 games, nine SEC Tournament championships and three national titles during her time in Columbia.
And in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, Staley and her staff still largely focus on signing high school players and then developing and keeping them on the roster. They supplement that, on average, with one or two transfers each season.
“I certainly don’t overpromise when it comes to rev share and NIL,” Staley said. “I’m only going to spread it out with what we have in hand — not necessarily trying to go out and get it. You lose some recruits in that regard.”
The talent Staley has brought to South Carolina with her recruiting approach is next level. From 2018 to 2025, Staley landed 22 high school recruits who ranked in ESPN’s top 100, including 18 who ranked in the top 25, nine who ranked in the top 10 and six who were top five prospects.
In comparison, perennial basketball power UConn landed 20 recruits in the ESPN Top 100 in that same time period, while LSU brought in 15.
Johnson, Latson and Edwards — who represented USC on Oct. 14 as the SEC Tipoff media event in Birmingham, Alabama — all told The State that Staley’s honesty stood out in their respective recruiting processes.
Edwards was one of the top five high school recruits Staley has signed. The Camden High product was the No. 3 recruit in ESPN’s Class of 2024 rankings, was named to the All-SEC First Team and was an All-America honorable mention after leading South Carolina in scoring as a freshman.
“A lot of coaches fake it,” Edwards said. Staley is “literally real. The way she acts when you talk to her over the phone is the way she’s gonna act when she’s at practice. Goofy, silly, but she’s serious when she needs to be.”
Johnson, a Minnesota product, signed in the 2023 class as the nation’s 25th best recruit.
“She kept it real with you, no matter if you liked it or not,” Johnson said. “ She kept emphasizing relationships are important to her, and that was a big thing for me when I was being recruited.”
And Latson was one of the biggest transfer portal acquisitions this offseason when she decided to leave Florida State for South Carolina.
“I feel like she also caters to the player experience,” Latson said. “Everybody has their own personal relationship with her. I feel like that’s what makes her so special.”
The bond with Staley wasn’t the only thing that brought Latson to Columbia. It was also the long-time relationship with former high school teammate Raven Johnson and new bonds created with Chloe Kitts and assistant coach Khadijah Sessions during her recruitment.
Still, money certainly plays a role in recruiting new players and keeping the current roster happy.
“Obviously, we got a set amount of money that we utilize that you’ve got to protect your locker room,” Staley said. “We’ve got one- and two-time national champions on our team, and we try to keep them happy, because we build our program on them.”
While Staley herself is a magnet for prospects, her own players play a key role in the recruiting process. Any time a player, whether it’s a high school or portal recruit, is on an official visit to South Carolina, almost every current Gamecock is around them on that visit.
“Everybody has something to do with the recruit,” Latson said. “Just talking to them, going to lunch with them, going to Coach’s house, just letting them feel the atmosphere and how much we love each other. I feel like that plays a huge part in recruiting.”
The relationships Tessa Johnson built with South Carolina’s players when she was a recruit helped bring her to Columbia. That’s why she thinks it’s so important she and her teammates are involved with the next crop of future Gamecocks.
“When I was in that position, I really relied on (relationships),” Johnson said. “Those are the people that I’m going to be with. These kids out of high school are leaving home, and they’re going to have to choose who they want to spend the next four years with. Remembering that and the feeling, I think it’s very important that we’re just as involved in the recruiting process.”
USC women’s basketball upcoming schedule
- Oct. 30: exhibition vs North Carolina in Atlanta, 6 p.m.
- Nov. 3: vs Grand Canyon, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 7: vs Bowling Green, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 11: vs Clemson, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Nov. 15: vs Southern Cal in Los Angeles 9 p.m. (FOX)
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 8:10 AM.
