South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is losing patience as the NCAA continues to delay a decision on transfer running back Rahsul Faison's eligibility waiver. Faison is a graduate transfer from Utah State who joined the Gamecocks at the beginning of the year, however months later, the university still has no answer on whether or not he can play in 2025.
On Monday, Coach Beamer spoke at a fan event in Summerville, SC, and stated that the NCAA "had everything they needed from us since January...we don't have an answer, it's frankly disappointing." He also noted that South Carolina had skipped adding an additional running back during the spring transfer window due to Faison's pending status.
“Now we’re in the middle of May and still don’t have an answer,” Beamer said. “We gave them everything they needed. They asked for more, we gave them what they needed…It’s getting frustrating, just to be completely frank." Beamer emphasized that South Carolina has also been in contact with Faison's former schools and provided all requested documentation, yet the waiver remains unresolved.
Shane Beamer said it’s “getting frustrating” that South Carolina hasn’t heard back from the NCAA regarding RB Rahsul Faison’s waiver pic.twitter.com/lCJHX84gn6
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) May 5, 2025
Speaking of Faison's other schools, his journey to South Carolina has been winding. He initially signed with Marshall University in 2019, where he enrolled but did not play in his freshman year. The following season, he took online classes at Lackawanna College, but also did not play. In 2021, Faison enrolled at Snow College, but again, say no game action. Finally, as a redshirt junior in 2022, he played a full season at Snow College, rushing for 355 yards on 88 carries (four yards per attempt) with six touchdowns. With a single year of junior college under his belt, Faison transferred to Utah State for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
There, he played in 13 games, ran for 736 yards on 118 carries (6.2 yards per carry), with five touchdowns. The following year, he made a much bigger impact with 1,109 yards on 198 carries and eight touchdowns. In total, Faison has racked up 1,845 rushing yards on 316 attempts and 13 touchdowns at the Division I level.
According to South Caroliana's official roster, Faison petitioned for an additional year of eligibility due to the "Pavia" rule, which refers to the recent NCAA case allowing an extra year of eligibility for an LSU running back with a similar JUCO background. Faison also had a COVID redshirt year. The Gamecocks coaching staff and the university believe Faison has earned another season of play under the NCAA rules, but the NCAA has yet to grant it.
While Beamer's public comments reflect the ongoing frustration that the team has as the 2025 season rapidly approaches, there is a standstill. The coaching staff can neither count Faison on the roster nor freely pursue other options without knowing the waiver's outcome.