South Carolina men's basketball has come out swinging as the 2027 recruiting window opened. On Sunday, Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks extended a scholarship offer to Martay Barnes, a dynamic 6-foot-2 combo guard from Melbourne, FL. Barnes may not only hit 5-star status before it's all over, but he also has family ties to South Carolina.
Barnes is the younger brother of former running back powerhouse Rocket Sanders.
The offer went public early on Father's Day, just hours after the midnight window opened, showing how high Barnes is on the South Carolina recruiting board. And the Florida standout took to social media to announce the news himself, which his big bro reposted with pride.
Prada u 🖤🙏🏾 https://t.co/UHf95T0vQl
— RocketSanders 🚀 (@raheim_sanders) June 15, 2025
Barnes is thin, but explosive, and can light up both ends of the court. He can attack with confidence and knows how to create offensive plays in the halfcourt. On the other side of the ball, he is active and tough, playing with an edge that gives him two-way star power and potential as he continues to develop.
Recruiting analysts are already buzzing about this kid, too. According to the rankings from On3, Barnes is the No. 29 overall for the Class of 2027, No. 4 in the state of Florida, and the No. 1 combo guard in the nation.
That being said, different ranking services view him slightly different, as 247Sports and On3 have him listed as a combo guard, Rivals actually tags him as a point guard, and ESPN calls him a shooting guard. Despite his definition, one thing is for sure: everyone agrees that Barnes is an elite talent.
According to Barnes social media, he has also received offers from Mississippi State, Kentucky, Cincinnati, USF, and Florida State. Barnes also took an unofficial visit to Columbia this past fall, and with the offer extended on Sunday, it's pretty clear that the Gamecocks want to keep the Rocket bloodline in Garnet and Black.