Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks are absolutely pumped after their nine-win season. They’re ready to slide into the playoffs and bring home a national championship. With quarterback LaNorris Sellers back and poised for a massive year, anything feels possible. Meanwhile, South Carolina also won a big recruiting battle in the transfer portal, getting running back Rahsul Faison from Utah State. But will Faison even be able to play this season? This isn’t about injuries or bad grades; instead, the NCAA has left the Gamecocks’ hopes in limbo.

Faison’s journey has been anything but ordinary. After running for an impressive 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns at Utah State, he transferred to South Carolina in January. He didn’t play from 2019 to 2021, but he’s pushing for an extra year of eligibility under a special rule, similar to what Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia was granted. His case looks strong, but South Carolina’s running back is still waiting for the NCAA to approve his waiver. The school sent the request way back in January, and now it’s late May with no decision in sight. South Carolina took a big risk, hoping the NCAA would act quickly and fairly, but it’s been complete silence instead. Whether Faison plays this fall or not, the waiting game continues, and Gamecocks fans are getting pretty impatient.

Earlier this week, Shane Beamer was still hopeful the NCAA would finally make a decision on Rahsul Faison. But by Friday afternoon, that hope just turned into more frustration. Still no word, still no ruling. Things are stuck in limbo, and the NCAA’s silence is becoming louder and louder every day.

On May 30, Gamecocks insider Wes Mitchell dropped the update fans didn’t want to hear. During an appearance on 107.5 The Game with Jay Philips and Elijah Campbell, Shane Beamer confirmed there’s still no decision on Rahsul Faison’s waiver. The NCAA continues to drag its feet. Meanwhile, the team is rallying around their guy. At summer workouts, they broke the huddle with a clear message: “Free ‘Sul.” The support is loud. Now, it’s the NCAA’s move.

Shane Beamer didn’t hold back on the NCAA’s silence. “It’s unfortunate,” he said. “Every time I hear through the grapevine that we should know something in the next day or two, it never happens. And what’s today? Friday, I think. Tuesday, I heard we should know something in the next couple of days. And here we are, Friday, and we’ve heard nothing. So nothing right now.” Simply put, the frustration keeps rising, but the silence stretches on.

Now, he’s waiting. Still grinding. Still showing up. “Our players are back in town working out,” said Shane Beamer. “I was out watching them today work out, lift, and run. And, you know, the team always gets it together at the end, and they break it down on something, ‘123 team’ or ‘123 Gamecocks’ or whatever it is. And today they broke it down on ‘Free ‘Sul’ as well. So they’re behind him, and he’s here working hard and hoping that we get some closure on this soon.” However, in early May, Shane Beamer didn’t hide his frustration….

At a Welcome Home Tour stop, he called out the delay in Faison’s waiver case. “It’s getting frustrating, to be completely frank. The fact (the NCAA) has had everything they needed from us since January and we don’t have an answer is, frankly, disappointing,” he said. And not long after, Faison took action.

Rahsul Faison brought in Darren Heitner, one of the top NIL lawyers in the game—the same one who helped basketball’s Myles Stute win his appeal for an extra year. “Rahsul Faison submitted his waiver request to the NCAA. I will be urging the NCAA to prioritize providing a decision,” posted Heitner on X.

Meanwhile, Faison is still grinding with the team. He hasn’t missed a beat. So, South Carolina is ready—and hoping—for the NCAA to finally make the call. But Rahsul Faison’s path hasn’t been straight—it’s been a grind. His CFB journey kicked off in 2019 and has stretched across 4 different programs. While the NCAA granted a blanket waiver for JUCO players after a lawsuit led by Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia, Faison doesn’t qualify. Why? His five-year eligibility clock has already run out. So now, he’s caught in the gray area—stuck waiting while others got the green light.

That’s what makes his case unique. And that’s why the Gamecocks are rallying behind him louder than ever. Is there any sign from the NCAA? If anyone might have a clue, it’s Shane Beamer—but even he’s left in the dark.

Shane Beamer is still holding out hope

On Friday, Shane Beamer was pressed about any updates from the NCAA on Rahsul Faison’s waiver delay. His response was clear but frustrating: “I really haven’t,” stated Beamer. “The NCAA reached out. We’ve given them everything that they’ve asked for since January. They reached back out about two weeks ago, I think, and asked for just a little bit more information on, you know, a couple situations with previous schools that we provided to them.”

Beamer added, “We’ve reached out to his previous stops and gotten all the information and documentation and statements that we need from them, so we’ve given the NCAA everything. We haven’t gotten a response on or any other feedback on why we don’t have a final statement yet, no.”

Honestly, the silence from the NCAA is deafening. Just recently, Baylor receiver Ashtyn Hawkins, in a similar spot, announced on Instagram Live that the NCAA actually revoked his final year of eligibility that they’d granted him earlier this offseason through the new JUCO transfer rule. They took away his eligibility in the middle of May.

But there’s still hope for Faison. Darren Heitner, his representative, told The State on May 7, “We hope to not have to escalate this matter to court, but we will do what is necessary to best ensure he obtains an extra year of eligibility. In the meantime, we hope to work cooperatively with the NCAA if they’re willing.” Heitner didn’t immediately reply to a recent email asking if the NCAA had responded or if he plans to take more legal steps. So, even though the wait drags on, the fight isn’t over yet.

Now, the running back situation isn’t completely bad without Faison, but it’s not as strong as coach Marquel Blackwell would like. The Gamecocks still have Oscar Adaway, Jawarn Howell, Matthew Fuller, and Bradley Dunn on scholarship. However, Faison has had a really good offseason and looks ready to get a lot of carries this fall. Right now, the Gamecocks are just waiting for a ruling that could change everything.