Dawn Staley has been on a recruiting heater in the month of October. The head South Carolina women’s basketball coach picked up four commitments from highly-rated recruits in the class of 2027 in just three weeks.

Staley’s recruiting haul includes three five-star prospects and gives South Carolina a top-tier foundation for its next class.

Here are key takeaways:

• Four-star guard Taylor Brown kicked off the recruiting run as Staley’s first 2027 commitment on Oct. 2, choosing the Gamecocks over North Carolina and Tennessee. Ranked No. 30 by ESPN, the 5-foot-6 guard told On3 she prides herself on defense and scoring at all three levels.
• Five-star guard Jezelle “GG” Banks, ranked No. 4 in the 2027 class, committed on Oct. 10, picking South Carolina over SEC rivals LSU and Texas. The 5-foot-10 guard from The St. James Performance Academy averaged 14.3 points and 5.4 assists as a junior and had offers from 40 schools.
• Five-star forward Zaniya Johnson, a 6-foot-4 post from Biloxi, Mississippi, pledged to the Gamecocks on Oct. 21, choosing South Carolina over LSU. Ranked No. 18 by ESPN, Johnson averaged 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks last season while leading Biloxi High to a 30-2 record.
• Five-star wing Jordyn Palmer, ranked No. 7 in the 2027 class by ESPN, committed to South Carolina on Oct. 23, picking the Gamecocks over Ohio State, UCLA and Penn State. The 6-foot-1 Westtown High School standout was named MVP of the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup after averaging 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.
• Brown, Banks and Palmer all visited South Carolina at the same time. The trio of recruits was in town during mid-September.
• ESPN’s Shane Laflin ranked South Carolina’s 2027 recruiting class as No. 1 in the nation even before Staley and the Gamecocks landed a commitment from Palmer.
• South Carolina is likely done with recruiting for the 2027 class. The Gamecocks will have four incoming freshmen to replace three fifth-years (Ashlyn Watkins, Brooke Quarles-Daniels, Chloe Kitts) and a senior (Tessa Johnson).