It's decision day for Gamecocks CB target from North Carolina
Decision day has arrived for Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley class of 2026 three-star cornerback Kosci Barnes, who has emerged as one of South Carolina’s top remaining targets in the class.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder will reveal his college choice at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday during a ceremony at his high school’s stadium.
In addition to the Gamecocks, Barnes has a final group that consists of Miami, Kentucky, Rutgers, North Carolina, and Mississippi State.
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All six of those schools, plus several other Power 4s, offered Barnes within the last four months of the process.
He took official visits to South Carolina, Miami, Rutgers, and Kentucky before locking in his decision, which will be revealed tonight.
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“I really want a place that feels like home, because I don’t plan on transferring. I want to be here all four years,” Barnes told GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark in June. “I want to make sure it’s a place where I’m sustainable. I really want to have a coach that really has a passion for coaching, a past history of producing my position to the next level where I want to be. And so with those things right there, that’ll help me get to where I want to be, which is the league.”
Barnes was one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Carolinas throughout the spring. He has a rating of 88, making him a high three-star on the Rivals scale. He’s considered the No. 49 cornerback in the class and the No. 26 prospect in North Carolina.
The Gamecocks are looking to add to a 2026 recruiting class that is currently ranked No. 17 in the country in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings.
