Rahsul Faison is pursuing an additional year of eligibility after transferring from Utah State to South Carolina, marking his seventh collegiate season with his fifth school.
Originally part of the 2019 high school recruiting class, Faison’s path has been anything but linear, with several detours creating uncertainty around his playing future.
The Gamecocks picked him up from the transfer portal after he posted a 1,100-yard season at Utah State, but questions surrounding his eligibility surfaced immediately.
Faison’s journey has taken him through four other programs at both the Division I and junior college levels. He began as a two-star recruit committed to Marshall, where he was grayshirted—delaying his enrollment to preserve roster flexibility and development time. However, the fit didn’t work for Faison.
He moved on to Lackawanna College but did not play, then transferred to Snow College, where he also sat out his first season. He finally saw game action in 2021 and parlayed a strong JUCO campaign into an opportunity at Utah State. Over two seasons with the Aggies, he rushed for more than 1,800 yards before entering the portal again.
Faison’s timeline:
- 2019: Marshall (grayshirt)
- 2020: Lackawanna (did not play)
- 2021: Snow College (did not play)
- 2022: Snow College (played)
- 2023: Utah State (played)
- 2024: Utah State (played)
Now at South Carolina, Faison is hoping to have his two inactive JUCO seasons discounted from his eligibility clock. He’s applied for a waiver, citing the NCAA’s recent ruling in the Diego Pavia case as precedent, but progress has been slow. Head coach Shane Beamer expressed his frustration with the delay, noting that the team passed on portal additions at running back in hopes that Faison would be cleared.
To expedite the process, Faison has hired attorney Darren Heitner, who previously helped a South Carolina basketball player secure a medical redshirt. Heitner has publicly called on the NCAA to prioritize Faison’s case.
Despite being on the roster at three programs (excluding Lackawanna), Faison has only played in three seasons over six years. He is now actively working to secure one final opportunity to take the field.
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