South Carolina’s Dawn Staley says money is driving transfer portal recruiting talks more than ever
South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley quietly watches her team play University of Southern California Monday, March 23, 2026, during the third quarter NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina/Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dawn Staley says her conversations with recruits have changed over the past few years, with finances becoming a top point of discussion, especially with players in the transfer portal.
The South Carolina coach said that in the past, she would emphasize getting a college degree when she spoke to potential transfers and recruits. “How much is it going to cost us? That’s the conversation.
You’ve got to lead with that,” Staley said as the Gamecocks prepare to face TCU in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament. “Because you don’t really want to waste your time. You either are going to have enough to pay players, or you don’t.
And you move on. ” In the name, likeness and image era, money is the main thing many players in the portal care about. “Because although you can promise a young person this or that, if your budget says otherwise — I don’t like to promise anything that isn’t available to us,” she said.
“I don’t want to have to go out and get the money because you could be told no and then your back is against the wall. ” Staley added that it may not be the first question she asks, but she has no choice but to bring it up. “I won’t say I lead with that question, but I get to it fairly quickly,” she said.