South Carolina Football Roster Breakdown: Running Backs

South Carolina opens the 2026 season in a little over a month. With that being said, it's time to take a look at each of the Gamecocks' position group, this time with the running backs.

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks running back Matthew Fuller (28) during warm ups at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The season is nearly here which means it's time to take a look at position groups on the Gamecocks roster. The running back position may not have the star power of years past, but it's a room that can get the job done next season. We break down the tailbacks and where things stand just over four weeks away from kickoff against Kent State.

South Carolina enters the year with a clear leader in the running back room, but question marks behind him. There is no true star in the room like the Raheim Sanders or Marshon Lattimores of the past, but it is a unit that is more than capable getting the tough yards when needed. Let's start off the list by talking about the leader in the room.

Matthew Fuller

QUESTION:
Which South Carolina OFFENSIVE player do you think will take a massive leap in 2026?

First answer that comes to mind for me is Matthew Fuller @Matt27284681 🤙🏻 pic.twitter.com/0zJeqeEcWD

— Walker Gaskins (@WGSports_CFB) April 21, 2026

Fuller returns for his redshirt sophomore season. After seeing very limited action as a true freshman in 2024, Fuller took advantages of the few opportunities he had last year. He appeared in 10 games, making three starts (Clemson, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M), where he carried the ball 72 times for 260 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 32 yards through the air and another touchdown. His best game of the year came on the road against LSU. That night he rushed for a season-high 83 yards on seven carries, including a 72-yard touchdown run.

Now seemingly entering the season as the starter, Fuller will be counted on to fix a unit that was one of the worst attacks in the conference last season. He will be paired with LaNorris Sellers at the quarterback position who is an elite runner in his own right. The legs of Sellers and a revamped offensive line should help give Fuller openings that weren't there last season.

Pushing for the Starting Role

Dec 31, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Christian Clark (6) rushes with the ball against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Behind Fuller is a number of players who will be pushing him for the starting gig. Christian Clark redshirted in 2024 with the Texas Longhorns after suffering a lower body injury that kept him sidelined all season. Healthy once again, he 55 times for 236 yards and two touchdowns as a reserve running back in 2025. His best game came in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl where he touched the ball 20 times for 105 yards and a touchdown with a long of 22 yards, all season highs, helping the Longhorns to a 41-27 win over Michigan.

Jawarn Howell now enters year three with the Gamecocks and figures to be involved early in the running back rotation next season. Howell appeared in three games last fall notching 80 yards on 14 touches, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He is the veteran in the room behind Fuller.

Isaiah Augustave returns for year two in Columbia after transferring last offseason from Colorado. He appeared briefly in each of the season’s first three games, then did not play again, retaining his redshirt. Jabree Coleman is a redshirt freshman following Stan Drayton from Penn State to the Gamecocks. He did not play a snap last season and retained his redshirt. Coleman was a three-star back in the 2025 class.