College football programs already have enough transfer chaos—now the NCAA is throwing its hat in the ring too. And who knows it better than the South Carolina head coach, Shane Beamer? The Gamecocks finished the 2024 campaign with a 9-4 record overall. So, it is obvious that the hunger for the playoffs is burning bright within Beamer. Just when he thought that he had found a key weapon to flip their luck in 2025, the NCAA did them wrong.

South Carolina had signed the player in question as a 4-star transfer portal addition during the winter portal window. However, going by his hoopla regarding eligibility with the NCAA, he is yet to get a clean chit. And with this, Beamer’s frustration meter is hitting high notes….

So, who is the focal point of this big NCAA hoopla? That’s none other than former Utah State running back Rahsul Faison. He had committed in the winter window of the transfer portal. Back then, things were already hot. Courtesy? A federal judge in Tennessee granted Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an injunction that will give him another year of eligibility. The dispute revolved around Pavia’s time at a junior college. There has been a longstanding policy of the NCAA that junior college counts toward the five-year to play four seasons model. To challenge this rule, Pavia went for legal contention against the NCAA. Luckily, the judge ruled in Pavia’s favor, and the NCAA was barred from having the power to stop Pavia from playing another year. That’s when Beamer’s new recruit, Faison, jumped into the portal.

In his two years at Utah State, the running back had gathered 1,845 rushing yards and 151 receiving yards along with 13 touchdowns. His pursuit of another year of eligibility has been stalled, frustrating both him and Coach Beamer. After all, the Gamecocks’ head coach had landed the 4-star with the hope that the NCAA would clear him for a final year of college football. So what’s the current status?

TheBigSpur.com tweeted on May 5, “SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — Shane Beamer is still waiting on an answer from the NCAA on Rahsul Faison.” And one could fathom the disappointment from Beamer’s press conference. Speaking with the media at his Welcome Home Tour stop in Summerville, the head coach was asked directly about whether or not the Gamecocks have received an update regarding Faison.

Here came his reply: “It’s getting frustrating, just to be completely frank. I understand the NCAA has a lot on their plate, but the fact that they’ve had everything they needed from us since January—we don’t have an answer—it’s frankly disappointing.” The Gamecocks had been active in providing the NCAA with whatever information they needed about Faison. So much so that Beamer’s squad even was in contact with other schools he was at to get stuff from them that they needed. 

So, this is definitely affecting their long-term planning. As Beamer shared, “I know they [NCAA] have a lot on their plate, but now we’re in the middle of May and still don’t have an answer, and we just went through a portal window where we didn’t add a running back, but we don’t have an answer on whether we’re going to have [Faison]. That’s tough, when you start planning for 2025.” Well, maybe for Faison, Beamer will have to wait a little longer. But when it comes to their spring portal additions, they have addressed the main issues by landing four players. Who are they?

Defensive end Demon Clowney and George Wilson, along with defensive tackle Troy Pikes and offensive lineman Nolan Hay. “When we went into it, you looked at it and said, we’ve got some depth concerns on the offensive line and we’ve got some depth concerns on the defensive line…..And we knew that we needed to address those, particularly from a depth standpoint. Feel like we have. They add competition to those rooms, on the defensive line and the offensive line. We’ve added older guys with some experience, because we’re still young at a lot of spots.” While they have addressed some, they still have a long way to go. But things are heating up in the quarterback room. 

Shane Beamer doubles down on his No.2 

The luck has been in Beamer’s favor when it comes to his quarterback weapons. When players were swapping homes for big money deals, the Gamecocks did not have to sweat much. All thanks to their quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, who decided to continue in South Carolina this season. Over the two years, Beamer’s quarterback racked up 2620 yards and 20 touchdowns. That’s when he tapped into the Heisman buzz. However, the head coach keeps his focus on constantly challenging the quarterback to get better. 

On April 15, Beamer faced the media and shared his take on Sellers. “Let’s be real. He’s the leader of the offense; he’s the leader of this football team. So whether he likes it or not, he’s got to embrace that role in his own way. Don’t be somebody you’re not. But he realizes that, you know, his voice carries a lot of weight And I’ve noticed him being willing to speak up and be assertive.” Beyond Sellers, South Carolina also has Luke Doty, a former four-star quarterback from the 2020 class. He is a valuable asset who can play both QB and WR.

Recently, during the Gamecocks’ spring game on April 18, Doty turned into an attention magnet. So, the most obvious question came up during the press meet. “Is he really vying for that backup quarterback job right now?” To which Shane Beamer confidently replied, “Absolutely.” With the NCAA holding back Rahsul Faison, South Carolina’s offense is walking a tightrope—great QBs, but no safety net.