South Carolina women's basketball recruiting target sets commitment date

On Saturday, South Carolina women’s basketball recruiting target Fope Ayo announced that she would make her college decision soon. In fact, the 6-5 post player will commit and sign on Monday morning.

Ayo, who is sometimes listed under the name Ayo Mofopefoluwa, will decide between South Carolina, Stanford, Miami, and Michigan. She officially visited all four programs, but her trip to Columbia was the most recent one. She was on campus at USC two weeks ago.

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A Massachusetts native, Ayo is exactly what you would expect from a traditional big. She can rebound and block shots, and she uses her size well to fight down low on both ends of the floor.

South Carolina has one post player already pledged (and signed) in the 2026 class. Kelsi Andrews is a top-20 national prospect but recently injured her knee. Forward Kaeli Wynn also signed with the Gamecocks.

Dawn Staley’s 2025-2026 team could lose up to four senior post players next offseason. Maryam Dauda has exhausted all of her eligibility. Madina Okot likely has, too, as she played two years in Kenya before one year at Mississippi State prior to South Carolina. Chloe Kitts is in her fourth year but will miss the year with a knee injury. Ashlyn Watkins, another would-be fourth-year player, is not with the team as she rehabs her own knee injury. Because of that, bringing in multiple bigs this cycle makes sense for the Gamecocks.

Ayo is a consensus top-61 prospect. Rivals considers her to be the nation’s No. 55 player and No. 14 power forward nationally. According to 247Sports, she is No. 61 overall and No. 9 nationally among centers. For ESPN HoopGurlz, Ayo ranks as the No. 45 recruit in the country and No. 6 post player.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!