South Carolina Lands Three Star CB Kosci Barnes

Barnes story is a bit different from others because his recruiting started late, and he continued to rise in the ranks this past spring and summer after a productive junior season. Before more power 4 interest came, Barnes had offers from Appalachian State, Eastern Kentucky, Liberty, and Marshall. South Carolina officially sent the offer on April 17th and hosted Barnes for an official visit on June 6th-8th, and continued to recruit him hard.

Barnes finished his junior season with 59 tackles, six tackles for loss, five pass deflections, three interceptions, and a forced fumble. He has one of his best games early in the season against Rolesville (NC), finishing with a season-high 10 tackles and an interception.

Barnes is also a state champion and was a key defensive piece for the Grimsley Whirlies, who went 16-0 and defeated Rolesville (NC) in the state championship game. In the state championship game, he recorded three tackles. He was a second-team all-state selection and was first-team all-conference after a breakout year.

It’s been a good past few weeks for the Gamecocks, who landed coveted quarterback Landon Duckworth last weekend. South Carolina now has 14 commitments for the 2026 class. Barnes is the fourth defensive back commit for the class for the Gamecocks.