Latest on South Carolina RB Rahsul Faison's NCAA eligibility waiver

South Carolina running back Rahsul Faison has been granted an emergency waiver to practice in training camp, his attorney Darren Heitner told On3 on Friday afternoon. The Gamecocks opened up fall camp on Friday with Faison sidelined, days after South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said the running back was cleared to participate.

But Faison will now be on the practice field and able to fully participate. Meanwhile, the Utah State transfer continues to wait for a full ruling on his eligibility waiver. Faison participated in spring practice, working out and attending meetings, including a spring game appearance, but he had to secure a waiver to participate in fall practice. South Carolina is scheduled for its second training camp practice on Aug. 2.

Heitner and Faison’s agent, Bryan Miller, continues to be in close contact with the South Carolina football program as they await an NCAA decision. Sources have said the Gamecocks have been thorough throughout the process, providing additional information when necessary. And Marshall has worked with the NCAA to provide any info it can, helping Faison’s waiver process, per a source.

Faison graduated from high school in 2019 and enrolled at Marshall, but never played a snap for the Thundering Herd and later left the program. He enrolled in online classes at Lackawanna College in 2020, but did not play football.

And when he enrolled at Snow College in 2021, he didn’t get on the field until 2022 and transferred to Utah State for the 2023 season. His push for an extra year of eligibility came after Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s legal win over the NCAA.

Pavia initially filed a lawsuit last November against the NCAA, arguing that because the governing body counts junior college seasons towards NCAA eligibility and athletes cannot redshirt after they have played four years, NCAA rules violate antitrust law.

“It’s frustrating, but I’ve just been focused on football more than the waiver,” Faison recently told On3 as he waited on the NCAA’s decision. “Obviously, I’m hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I’ve just been grinding. Staying locked in. That’s all I really can do.”

Rahsul Faison rushed for 1,109 yards on 5.6 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns at Utah State in 2024. He also caught 22 passes for 99 yards. Faison emerged in the portal as an ideal candidate for South Carolina to take over for Rocket Sanders.

With no indication of how the NCAA will rule in recent months, South Carolina has taken precautionary steps, recently picking up Colorado transfer running back Isaiah Augustave. South Carolina has four other scholarship running backs: Bradley Dunn, Jawarn Howell, Matthew Fuller and Oscar Adaway III.

But Rahsul Faison is viewed as an impact player who can elevate South Carolina’s backfield with quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Faison clocked a 4.4-second 40-yard dash this spring. He is currently viewed as a mid-round pick for the 2026 NFL draft, sources told On3. The running back held multiple collegiate all-star game invites before deciding to test the portal.

“I’m optimistic that it would be potentially this week,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said at SEC Media Days. “[Athletic director] Jeremiah Donati has worked really, really hard on this. Our compliance people, the NCAA, they’ve been very forthcoming in their communication in regards to what they need and what they’re looking for and the issues they see. So it’s been a great process for us in regard to the communication back and forth. I wish we had an answer right now, but yeah, I’m optimistic that it’ll be sooner than later.”