Gamecock RB Deemed Eligible Days Before Season Opener Against Virginia Tech
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The Virginia Tech Hokies already have their hands full in week one, when they'll travel to Atlanta to play LaNorris Sellers and the No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks. Now, they have another offensive weapon to deal with.
Senior running back Rahsul Faison transferred to South Carolina this offseason. He's been in an ongoing battle with the NCAA about his eligibility, but on Monday, the NCAA ruled him eligible for the 2025 season.
NEW: The NCAA has approved a waiver allowing South Carolina RB Rahsul Faison to play this season, CBS Reports.
— On3 (@On3sports) August 25, 2025
The Utah State transfer totaled 1,109 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns last season. https://t.co/c21vbqrW02 pic.twitter.com/OdRERNw6SK
Faison adds yet another dynamic playmaker to the Gamecocks' offense. Led by dual-threat quarterback LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina is set to have one of the best offenses in the country. They already have a freak of nature at receiver, Nyck Harbor, a 6-foot-5, 235-pounder who's as fast as anyone in the nation. Now, they have a true RB1 in Faison.
Dynamic running back
In 2024, Faison played for Utah State, and he absolutely shredded opposing defenses. He ran for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns behind a 5.6 average while adding another 99 yards through the air. He takes the South Carolina offense to whole new level.
Faison's collegiate career began at Marshall in 2019, but he never played a snap before leaving the university. He then enrolled at Snow College two years later in 2021, but didn't see the field until 2022. After one season at Snow College, he transferred to Utah State, where he's rushed for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons.
Faison thought his collegiate career was over. That was until Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia victory against the NCAA, which ruled that time spent at a junior college does not count against NCAA eligibility. Faison then applied for a waiver and waited months for a response before he was granted eligibility on Monday.
"I applaud the NCAA for looking at all of the facts in Rahsul Faison's appeal and making the right decision today," South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati posted on X. "He has been patiently waiting for this decision, and we share in his excitement to have one more year of eligibility and be a member of our football team this year."
The Gamecocks now add another dynamic playmaker to their offense. South Carolina has the quarterback, the receivers, and now they have the running back they need to be a real threat in the SEC.
Heading into his fourth season, Hokies head coach Brent Pry is 0-5 against ranked teams in the regular season, but he is going to have a chance to immediately reverse that trend when the season starts. The Hokies will face No. 13 South Carolina in Atlanta and while Virginia Tech is a big underdog in that game, they might have a better shot at winning that game than one might think.
South Carolina is going to be replacing a lot of NFL talent that was on their team last season. SEC defensive player of the year Kyle Kennard, safety Nick Emmanwori, running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, and linebacker Demetrius Knight are just a few of the players that the Gamecocks will be missing. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has done a fantastic job of recruiting, but having so many new starters at positions in week one can make things challenging.
The Hokies' defense will have its hands full in week one. On the bright side, it will be a real litmus test for where this defense stands to start the season.
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-ffeb54c7b9d66c257a41cd0686d0f156.jpeg "Luke Hubbard")
Luke is a writer for Virginia Tech On SI covering all things Football and Men's Basketball. He's previously covered the LSU Tigers for Rivals and Athlon as well as the New Orleans Saints for SB Nation. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to choose a career as a sports writer.