Hearing this, only one big question comes up — HOW? No offense to South Carolina Gamecocks standout running back, but this is an insane anomaly. While Vandy’s Diego Pavia’s fight for just one year extra with the NCAA was a headline battle, just imagine how big it is when a 1,000-yard rusher, former Utah State, earns a 7th year in college. You bet the nation went mad over the news. The long, winding saga of Rahsul Faison has finally reached its resolution.

On Monday, the NCAA approved Faison’s waiver for an additional year of eligibility — his seventh — allowing the 25-year-old to suit up for the Gamecocks in 2025. The story of how he got here reads more like a Netflix mini-series than a roster transaction. The State explained that in 2018, Rahsul Faison committed to Stony Brook but didn’t enroll due to academic hurdles. That setback pushed him to a prep school in Connecticut.

By 2019, he committed to Marshall, but only as a grayshirt — not officially on the team, not on scholarship, footing the bill himself for that first semester. Then came 2020, a year that chewed up many dreams across college athletics. Faison, dealing with financial troubles, moved back home, took online classes at Lackawanna College, and watched football from the sidelines. The tide turned in 2021 and 2022, when he found footing at Snow College, a junior college in Utah. By 2023 and 2024, he finally hit the field in the Mountain West with Utah State, where he became a key part of the offense and logged that milestone 1,000-yard rushing season. And now — 2025 — he’s wearing garnet and black for South Carolina.

It feels like a full-circle moment, only the circle looks more like a rollercoaster track. Getting to this point wasn’t easy. South Carolina first tried to make its case based on Faison’s eligibility clock and the hardships scattered throughout his college journey. The NCAA initially denied the waiver, hanging on to a technicality from 2019 at Marshall. But the Gamecocks pressed, resubmitting with clarification and paperwork that detailed just how unusual Faison’s start really was. The governing body finally agreed, giving Columbia a new piece in its offensive puzzle.

The first sign of victory came from Faison himself. Before the news broke, he posted five praying hands emojis on X, like a player waiting for the scoreboard to light up. When the approval landed, he simply wrote, “Thank you God,” adding three more praying emojis.

His lawyer, Darren Heitner, who championed the case, dropped the confirmation post: “CONFIRMED. RAHSUL FAISON IS ELIGIBLE. #FREESUL.” Heitner then credited Erin Abbey, South Carolina’s senior associate AD, who worked behind the scenes to tie together the paper trail. It was an unusual collaboration of patience, persistence, and policy — and now, it’s paying off on the field.

Part vibes in Columbia

Once the ruling went public, the football world quickly chimed in, starting with ESPN’s Matt Olson. “Transfer RB Rahsul Faison getting cleared to play is huge news for South Carolina. No. 5 RB in ESPN’s portal top 100 finally gets some good news. He’s a 25-year-old 7th-year senior.” Olson is right — in an era where portal moves dominate headlines, Faison stands out as a case of both endurance and upside. Having a proven 1,000-yard rusher fall into Shane Beamer’s lap is no small deal, especially with SC looking for offensive consistency.

On3’s J.D. PicKell followed with his own take: “Rahsul Faison being eligible for South Carolina is absolutely massive! Another pitch for the Gamecocks offense next to LaNorris Sellers. Great vibes in Columbia.” That perspective underscores how personnel news has become tied to vibes — locker room momentum matters, and pairing LaNorris Sellers with a back like Faison gives the Gamecocks not just depth, but identity.

Then came the fans, raw and unfiltered. “Congratulations, Sul!! Looking forward to seeing you in garnet and black! Go Gamecocks!!” wrote one, echoing the pride of a fan base that has waited for real momentum in the Beamer era. Another added, “Time to ball out brother!!! Let’s go!!!” — the type of straight-shot support that makes college football culture what it is, players feeding off the echo chamber of belief.

Finally, an “Amazing! Congrats Rahsul.” Sometimes fewer words carry more weight. This isn’t just about one player’s persistence; it’s about what it means for a program clawing for its place in the SEC hierarchy.