South Carolina landed an intriguing defensive back prospect to its 2026 class on Saturday evening as cornerback Kosci Barnes announced his pledge in a ceremony at Grimsley High School.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Barnes ranked as the No. 620 overall player in the country and the No. 49 cornerback. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback chose the Gamecocks over Kentucky, Miami, Mississippi State, North Carolina and Rutgers. 

With Barnes’ commitment, which is pledge No. 14 in the 2026 class, South Carolina sits at No. 22 in the 247Sports Team Rankings. The Gamecocks’ 14-man class owns an average rating of 90.99, which is good for 13th in the country.

Of the 14 commitments in South Carolina’s class, nine are ranked as four-star prospects in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The Gamecocks have three commitments ranked inside the top 100 in defensive lineman Aiden Harris (No. 71), safety J’Zavien Currence (No. 81) and quarterback Landon Duckworth (No. 86).

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South Carolina still has key targets in the 2026 class with decision dates set for next month. Four-star running back Amari Thomas, who recently decommitted from Florida State, will announce his decision on Aug. 8. He’s set to choose between Florida State, Miami, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida and South Carolina. According to the 247Sports Composite, Thomas is tabbed as the No. 22 running back in the country and the No. 341 overall prospect.

A few weeks later on Aug. 22, five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray will announce his pledge. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound interior offensive lineman is ranked as the No. 16 overall prospect and the No. 1 interior offensive lineman by 247Sports. The Gamecocks are in Gray’s final group along with LSU, Clemson, Tennessee and Ohio State.

In the last recruiting cycle, South Carolina’s 2025 class finished ranked No. 18 in the country. The 2024 class, which featured two five-stars in EDGE Dylan Stewart and offensive lineman Josiah Thompson, also finished ranked No. 18.

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