Knowledgeable, confident, and hard-working. These are three words Isaiah Augustave uses to describe himself. He joined the Gamecocks as a late transfer, but he has already memorized Shane Beamer’s playbook and is showing impressive flashes of talent during the scrimmage. Undoubtedly, Beamer has been impressed and excited about what he brings to the table, considering the fact that he just landed in Columbus in the summer. “He’s got speed, he’s got explosiveness,” as the head coach put it.

Where is Isaiah Augustave from, and what is his nationality?

Isaiah Augustave hails from Naples, Florida, and Zay is his nickname. At Naples High School, he played two seasons under head coach Rick Martin. In his junior year, he helped the Golden Eagles to a 10-1 mark as he rushed 109 times for 950 yards and 16 touchdowns, towards the Class 6A Region 4 semifinal. He wrapped up his high school career with 1,011 rushing yards on 219 carries with 27 touchdowns. He ranked No. 19th as a running back in the Class of 2023, with a four-star rating, per Rivals. Talking about the trenches and the run game, he talked about his strengths. “I run the ball. My strengths is I’m able to run downhill and I don’t do all that juking.”

What is Isaiah Augustave’s ethnicity?

He hails from Naples, Florida. Beyond his playing career and on-field reputation, little is publicly known about his personal background. While fans have wondered about his heritage, no official information confirms his race or ethnic identity. After graduating from high school, Isaiah went to Arkansas, turning down offers from Florida State, Tennessee, among others. “I fell in love with the campus, and the coaches are all good people. They are all there for the players, it’s like a family up here, and just reminds a lot of what I already got at Naples High,” he said of Arkansas. He further appreciated running backs coach Jimmy Smith as a great man both on and off the turf, who had been very transparent and honest about the recruiting process.

Is Isaiah Augustave African-American?

There is no public information available about that. 

Influence of Upbringing on Faith and Character

Although there is no information available about his faith, when asked about the best advice he had received, he said, “Always keep God first.”Obviously, his perseverance and determination landed him in Beaver’s program at Columbus. His favourite thing about being a running back? “I just love scoring TDs.” Talk about love for the sport, and Isaiah certainly qualifies. But if he hadn’t taken the football leap, he would have gone to track. True to his sport, on being asked about a superpower, he chose speed.

His thrilling performance during the second scrimmage with the Gamecocks proved him to be a valuable asset, come the 2025 season. He had the longest run, at least in a scrimmage, of the preseason the other day, where he broke a tackle and had a 60-70 yard run, which was “impressive to see,” Beamer said.