It’s the last lap of the off-season, folks! And college football programs are pushing the accelerator to go as far as possible in the recruiting trail before their championship responsibilities arrive. Going by On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans have shown consistency in maintaining the first place. While Georgia is at No.2, unexpectedly, Notre Dame has risen to the scene, holding the No.3 rank.
Programs like the South Carolina Gamecocks could not make it to the top 10. But so what? Shane Beamer has no reason to feel sad about. Right now, they are holding the No.17 spot with only 14 recruits locked in. They are yet to open their book with a 5-star recruit. But here comes another 3-star win. Beamer and co. won the heart of the coveted cornerback, Kosci Barnes.
On July 26, Chad Simmons tweeted, “NEWS: South Carolina beats Kentucky and others for Grimsley (NC) CB Kosci Barnes.” Now, that’s indeed a victory for Beamer. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound standout from Grimsley High School in Greensboro held multiple offers. The list of his suitors included South Carolina, Miami, North Carolina, Kentucky, Rutgers, and Mississippi State. But Beamer got lucky to bring him home. What might have worked in their favor in the Barnes race? In an interview with Rivals, the 3-star recruit shared, “I committed to South Carolina because it felt like family. The culture there, the passion they have for football, and how I was treated by the coaches were some of the other reasons I chose South Carolina.”
NEWS: South Carolina beats Kentucky and others for Grimsley (NC) CB Kosci Barnes.
Barnes said, “It felt like family.”
Story: https://t.co/mypdgekSup pic.twitter.com/EiOW7kOpfQ
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) July 26, 2025
Now, this recruiting win might have felt like a surprise for Beamer. After all, they were late to the party to woo Barnes. The Gamecocks offered him in the spring, in April. But the timing does not matter; the passion does, right? That’s been the case in Barnes’ commitment. As he shared in the interview, “They offered a little later than some schools, but before they offered, I was already talking with coach Gray, and once they offered, he showed me that I was high on their board. Coach Gray was consistent, we talked a lot, and coach Beamer would FaceTime me a lot. They made me feel really good, and that was big in my decision.”
His commitment might be a bonus for Beamer as Barnes gives the Gamecock defender the size and athleticism that the secondary needs. He is ranked as the No. 56 cornerback and No. 584 overall prospect in the class. Barnes is another unique addition to Beamer’s already tough defensive back class. He is joining four-star safety J’Zavien Currence, three-star cornerback K.J. Johnson, and three-star ATH Triston Lewis. While it’s celebration time in Beamer’s Gamecocks camp, Mario Cristobal faced another loss.
Hurricanes’ loss and Shane Beamer’s fuel to push harder on the 2026 recruiting track
Already, the wounds are fresh in the Hurricanes’ camp, as they missed out on landing 5-star wide receiver recruit Calvin Russell, who chose Syracuse over Miami. Cristobal might have been living by a thin hope that things would go right with Barnes. The cornerback recruit, too, gave them high hope about the Hurricanes being the most suited spot for him. As reported by Canes Warning, he said, “They feel like I have position flexibility … and they feel like I can be moved around to get on the field all the time. Playing as a freshman is one of my goals.”
But look how the tables turned. Now, Beamer came to land more woes on them. The cornerback is the 14th commitment to Beamer’s 2026 class and fourth in the last couple of weeks. But the head coach still can’t sleep in peace as he has some unfinished business when it comes to the recruiting trail. Right now, the No.1 interior offensive lineman commit, Darius Gray, is keeping his suitors on the edge.
Steve Wiltfong tells On3 on whether Shane Beamer and South Carolina’s luck would favor or not. He shared, “The Majority of my sources favor South Carolina with less than a month to go. I’ve recently had LSU in pole position… and the Vols are making a charge. We’ll see where the dust settles in less than a month.” Darius Gray will close his commitment on August 22. Lucky, Beamer, he just found the motivation with Kosci Barnes’ commitment to chase hard in the Gray race.
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