6-3 senior forward Ashlyn Watkins will be back in uniform this season for Dawn Staley and the USC women. The Columbia native made the announcement via social media on Tuesday night.
Watkins was part of the Gamecocks’ national championship team in 2024 that went 38-0. However, on August 31st of that year she was arrested on assault and kidnapping charges. Those charges were dropped on November 1st and she was reinstated to the team three days later.
Her junior season was cut short with a torn ACL at Mississippi State on January 5th, and she had surgery at the end of that month. On July 25th of 2025, Watkins announced she would sit out the upcoming season to “focus on myself, my community, my faith, and my family, so that I can grow as an individual and attempt to master this journey of life.”
Watkins has played in 84 games and has averaged over seven points and five rebounds per game. She’s also one of the top shot blockers in women’s college basketball.