Rahsul Faison was relaxing at home on Monday afternoon when his phone lit up with a FaceTime call from South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer.
On the other end came the news Faison had been waiting nearly nine months to hear: the NCAA had officially granted him a seventh year of eligibility, clearing the way for him to suit up for the Gamecocks this season.
“That was an awesome phone call to make,” Beamer said Wednesday. “… I FaceTimed him and told him (he was cleared) and that was a pretty cool moment that I won’t forget. Just seeing the joy in his face — and all he kept saying was just, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ because he’s so appreciative for the opportunity.”
For Faison, the decision capped a long journey that began in January when he transferred from Utah State to South Carolina. Despite months of uncertainty, Beamer praised the veteran running back for keeping a positive mindset.
Faison himself admitted he didn’t celebrate much after hearing the news, saying his attention quickly turned to the season opener against Virginia Tech on Sunday.
“It was a lot of ups and downs, for sure, but for the most part I was in good spirits through it all because I’ve been here with my teammates, my coaches, Coach Beamer, [running backs coach Marquel Blackwell]. And then obviously my family, they played a major part,” Faison said. “So people around me just kept me high.
“I had faith that it would happen and the NCAA would do the right thing. So I’m just blessed that they granted me an extra year.”
His teammates were equally thrilled. Many took to social media to share their excitement, and others spoke about it with reporters midweek.
“I’m happy for him,” defensive back Brandon Cisse said. “I enjoy just to see somebody of that caliber of a player to be on our team. He’s a special kind of talent, so it’s exciting to have somebody like that when you know he’s going to be out there for sure. It’s a big difference-maker for us.”
What Faison’s Eligibility Means for the Backfield
The Gamecocks had been preparing as if Faison would be available all along. Running backs coach Marquel Blackwell has emphasized a committee approach, with the belief that roles would sort themselves out as the season progressed.
“I just had in my head that I was playing,” Faison admitted.
Now officially cleared, Beamer said the news only strengthens an already promising group.
“We were going to play multiple running backs and now that he’s eligible, he’s going to play, and then there’ll be other guys in that room that will also play,” Beamer said. “So it makes a room that I was really excited about already, it makes that room even better and gets me even more excited to just add to the depth and the personnel in that running back room.”
Faison brings experience and production to a unit that returns just one running back (Oscar Adaway) who carried the ball more than 50 times last year, and only two players who rushed for more than 100 yards in 2024. Last season at Utah State, Faison earned All-Mountain West honors after racking up 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns.
“I think he’s an elite back,” Cisse said. “He can go out of the backfield, go play slot receiver. He possesses a lot of different things that we can do on offense, the way we got to get him involved. He possesses a tough task for anybody. In the open field, he can go out and make people miss.”
Wide receiver Nyck Harbor added that he’s eager to block for Faison, who he believes makes life easier for the offense with his aggressive running style.
“He’s gonna go make plays for us,” Harbor said. “… He just wants to get down the field. He wants to go score
