Utah State transfer running back Rahsul Faison, the top available running back in the portal at the time of his commitment, committed to South Carolina on Tuesday and signed with the Gamecocks on Wednesday.
GamecockCentral had an in-depth analysis of the pickup for subscribers below.
The recruitment
South Carolina won a big boy recruiting battle to land Faison’s signature.
Florida State, Alabama, North Carolina, and Utah were all heavily in the mix for the portal’s No. 7 running back.
We’re told that FSU in particular was committed to landing Faison and was particularly hurt by the news that he’d be heading to Columbia instead.
Faison took a thorough approach to the recruiting process, visiting at least the first three schools on that list and carefully considering them all.
Once the Gamecocks got him in campus, though, this one was pretty straight forward. Both sides considered it a match and he committed before leaving town.
He’s scheduled to arrive on campus to move in this weekend.
The evaluation
Faison will bring a unique running style to the South Carolina running back room.
If you’ve watched some of the highlights that are floating around and thought that he runs bigger than the 200 pounds he’s listed as, there’s a reason for that — Faison actually was bigger than expected when he arrived on campus, measuring in at 215 pounds and with a broad frame to add even more weight.
Faison reminds me of many of the successful modern day NFL backs in that he’s a patient runner who waits for the hole to develop and then quickly gets to another gear. He doesn’t have elite top-end speed but is plenty fast enough and has good explosiveness. He’s willing to get physical and at times seeks out contact with the ability to make defenders miss in the open field with a variety of moves including the dead leg and a spin move.
Faison actually runs routes and doesn’t just go through the motions as a pass catcher and can help Carolina there, which is important as it replaces Rocket Sanders and is also another staple of modern backs in the pass-happy NFL.
One source compared his running style to that of a Jahmyr Gibbs minus the elite top end speed. I see some Zaquandre White in his upright running motion, patience and suddenness at times.
Faison rushed 1,190 yards and eight touchdowns on 198 carries this season. He added 22 receptions for 99 yards on the year. That came after Faison rushed for 736 yards and five touchdowns on 118 carries the prior year.
Faison had a 78.9 PFF grade (his overall was dinged by his pass pro) this year with an 88.0 run grade (tied for 8th in FBS) after having an 84.9 overall and 90.0 run grade in 2023.
This season he forced 69 missed tackles (tied for 8th FBS) and averaged 3.84 yards after contact per carry (that number is just a notch above Rocket Sanders’ this season for context). He also had 21 carries of 15 yards or more (tied 10th FBS).
In addition to all of the physical attributes, we’re told Faison was deemed to be a strong locker room fit while on campus as well.
What’s next?
With the commitment of Faison, South Carolina is likely done adding at the running back position for now for 2025.
The Utah State transfer will compete with Oscar Adway, Jawarn Howell, and Matt Fuller for snaps this season.
