The recruiting rivalry between South Carolina and LSU wrote another chapter Wednesday, and this round belonged to Dawn Staley. Five-star Biloxi center Zaniya Johnson, rated as the No. 18 overall prospect and the third-best post player in the 2027 SC Next 100 rankings, has bypassed Kim Mulkey and Baton Rouge, choosing the Gamecocks after whittling her recruitment down to the two marquee SEC rivals. Gamecocks fans wasted no time in giving their reaction to this development, as Johnson herself looks forward to her new journey.

“I truly believe [South Carolina] has everything I need and more to grow both on and off the court,” Johnson said, per ESPN. “South Carolina has a proven track record of developing post players, and having the opportunity to be part of a program like that was something I couldn’t pass up.”

An anchor on both ends of the floor, Johnson averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks per game as a junior. Her interior dominance spearheaded a 28–1 campaign that included a school-best 27-game winning run and the Region 4-7A title. Brandon Clay, Sports Director at 247Sports, assessed what Johnson could bring to South Carolina.

“Johnson has the type of legitimate size that colleges nationwide covet in the frontcourt,” Clay wrote. “She is more than capable of serving as a force around the paint. Johnson’s college level upside will be largely predicated on her ability to finish through contact. Right now, Johnson doesn’t see many opponents that have the same size base that she does. She’s got good hands to go along with her catch radius. That combination should aid Johnson in being a consistent rebounding option.”

Naturally, Gamecocks fans are quite happy with their team’s talent acquisition.

Johnson’s Arrival Taken Very Positively By The Fans

Landing a five-star recruit is always exciting, but beating a rival for that commitment makes it even sweeter. This was on display as fans expressed their thoughts in the comments section of the post by SportsCenter NEXT.

“Let’s gooooo!! Welcome home!! 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽,” one fan wrote.

“Dawn develops centers really well..Aja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Cardoso, Alaina Coates, and Medina Okot..is was the best fit for her😁👍👍👍,” another fan wrote, indicating that Johnson is in good hands with Dawn Staley’s team, who have a history of developing premier talents at her position.

“Love seeing all these birdies fly into the nest! That Girl University is lit!,” another fan said.

“Dawn landed another birdie in the nest 🪺.. Let’s Go Zaniya 🐔🐔🐔🐔,” one fan wrote online. By pairing Johnson with Jezelle “GG” Banks, who is ranked No. 4 in SC Next 100, and No. 30 Taylor Brown, Dawn Staley has secured her third elite prospect this cycle, officially pushing the Gamecocks to the top of the national team recruiting rankings.

“South Carolina National Championship 2027 banner is already being made 🤷‍♂️,” another fan wrote.

“Wow! If Jordyn Palmer chooses the Gamecocks too, this could be like the Freshies class 2.0!,” one fan wrote.

Over the past five years, Dawn Staley has turned the Gamecocks into the premier talent factory in women’s college basketball. Securing top-five classes annually since 2021—anchored by 16 five-star recruits and 14 McDonald’s All-Americans—she has engineered a cutthroat practice environment built to groom future pros at every position. That juggernaut shows no signs of slowing, as South Carolina awaits Friday’s decision from No. 7 prospect Jordyn Palmer, who is weighing the Gamecocks against Penn State, Ohio State, and UCLA.

At the moment, everything seems to be aligning for the Gamecocks and their fans. South Carolina captured the No. 1 spot in the initial Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll, which was revealed on Tuesday, with 23 of the 31 possible first-place votes, marking the fifth time in the past seven years that the Gamecocks enter the season ranked atop the nation.

Now armed with top-tier signings, fans have every right to hope that the Gamecocks will make the trip to the national title game again this season and end up on the winning side.