Dawn Staley Sends Another Strong Signal in Zaniya Johnson Recruitment

Dawn Staley continues to make South Carolina a difficult program to ignore for some of the nation’s top recruits.

On Friday night, five-star 2027 center Zaniya Johnson was spotted alongside Staley at South Carolina’s football game against Kentucky.

Johnson is in Columbia for an official visit with the Gamecocks, giving Staley another opportunity to show one of the country’s top frontcourt prospects what life at South Carolina could look like.

The 6-foot-4 center arrived in Columbia on Oct. 2 and was seen around the program ahead of Saturday’s game.

Staley was not the only familiar face around Johnson.

Several members of the Gamecocks program, including assistant coaches and players such as Kaeli Wynn and Jerzy Robinson, were also spotted with the highly rated recruit.

Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards were also part of the pregame festivities, serving as celebrity starters and helping get the crowd fired up.

For South Carolina, though, the bigger story may have been who was standing on the sideline with Staley.

Johnson is currently ranked No. 18 nationally in ESPN’s 2027 recruiting rankings.

The Biloxi, Mississippi, native has narrowed her recruitment to five programs: South Carolina, LSU, Florida State, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

Staley and the Gamecocks have been pursuing Johnson for some time.

South Carolina offered her in August 2025, and Staley most recently watched Johnson compete for Team Untamed during the Pro-16 Finals in July.

Now, Johnson is getting an up-close look at the Gamecock experience.

And the timing is especially interesting.

Earlier Friday, four-star point guard Taylor Brown announced her commitment to South Carolina, choosing the Gamecocks over Tennessee and North Carolina.

Brown became Staley’s first commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

That means South Carolina has already started building its next recruiting class, and Johnson is one of the biggest remaining names on the board.

This is also becoming a familiar strategy for Staley.

South Carolina has repeatedly used football weekends to bring elite basketball recruits into Columbia, giving them the opportunity to experience the atmosphere surrounding the entire athletic program.

Five-star prospects Jordyn Palmer and GG Banks, along with Brown, were also in Columbia for South Carolina’s football game against Mississippi State on Sept. 19.

Now Johnson has received the same treatment.

For Staley, this is about more than getting a highly ranked recruit inside Colonial Life Arena.

It is about letting Johnson see the culture, the fan base and the environment surrounding South Carolina athletics.

And with the Gamecocks already securing Brown, Johnson’s official visit could become one of the next major recruiting storylines surrounding Staley and the 2027 class.

There is still a long way to go before Johnson makes her decision.

But seeing a five-star center spending time with Staley on the sideline is certainly something Gamecock fans will be watching closely.