Decision day for cornerback Kosci Barnes has arrived. The rising star out of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina will announce his college commitment tonight at 7:20 p.m. during a ceremony ar his high school stadium. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive back is a three-star prospect and one of South Carolina's remaining top targets in the Class of 2026. Barnes narrowed his choices down to six programs which includes South Carolina, Miami, Kentucky, Rutgers, North Carolina, and Mississippi State. All six schools, along with several other top program, have extended scholarships over the past few months. The highly sought-after CB took official visits to several of those schools including South Carolina, Miami, Rutgers, and Kentucky.
Almost time to see where the crib is at!!#AGTG #BLESSED pic.twitter.com/sharqWdvaY
— Kosci Barnes (@KosciBarnes) July 19, 2025
“I really want a place that feels like home, because I don’t plan on transferring. I want to be there all four years,” Barnes recently told Gamecock Central’s Chris Clark in June. “I want a coach who’s passionate about coaching and has a track record of developing players at my position to the next level. That’s what will help me get where I want to be— the league.”
Barnes has been one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Carolinas over the spring. He is ranked as an 88 overall, a high three-star prospect, at the No. 49 cornerback in the country and No. 26 overall player in the state of North Carolina, according to Rivals.
If the Gamecocks can land Barnes, he will add to the Gamecocks' already strong 2026 recruitng class, which is currently ranked as No. 17 nationally in the Rivals Team Rankings.