South Carolina has options at running back. Enough to replace Rocket Sanders?
South Carolina benefited greatly from having what it was missing in previous seasons: a good lead running back. With nearly 900 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, Rocket Sanders was a difference-maker on offense in his lone season with the program in 2024.
Now that Sanders is off to the NFL Draft, the Gamecocks are essentially back where they started. Heading into the 2025 season, they will need to find out who can be their next Sanders in the running back room. Fortunately, they have some options with a lot of potential.
Oscar Adaway III is back for his seventh year of college football after serving as the backup behind Sanders. He turned in a promising performance in the Citrus Bowl, finishing with 106 all-purpose yards and a touchdown as the lead back. He’ll now be competing to be the go-to option this year.
“I’d definitely say they’re going to have a great year,” Sanders said. “And I mean, definitely with Oscar in there, ’cause you know, he’s an older guy. I feel like he’s got knowledge ’cause he taught me some things as well that I taught him as well. I feel the guys are going to be great.”
Aside from Adaway, South Carolina also returns Jawarn Howell and Matthew Fuller, who both redshirted last season. Head coach Shane Beamer noted they performed well during winter workouts. He also knows the team will be relying on them a lot more this season.
“Those two guys were really, really impressive, talking about Jawarn and Matthew. So now it’s time for them to take the next step and compete,” Beamer said. “… You need more than one, you need more than two, you need more than three, just because of the wear and tear that position has.”
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But knowing what they were losing in Sanders, Beamer and his staff went into the transfer portal and found another running back who could complement the others well — maybe even have a better season than Sanders did in Columbia.
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That would be Utah State transfer Rahsul Faison. In two seasons with the Aggies, he rushed for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. While he was good in 2023, his breakout year was in 2024, when he ran for more than 1,100 yards and eight scores.
There’s a small caveat, though. Faison hasn’t been ruled eligible for the new season. He’s still allowed to practice with the team during the spring, but he’s still awaiting the final word from the NCAA, regarding his status after he petitioned for an additional year of eligibility due to the “Pavia” rule.
If Faison can suit up for this season like South Carolina hopes, it could be in for a big year with him in the room.
“Dawg. Period. D-A-W-G,” Adaway said, describing the type of player that Faison is.
“A lot of people try to lead by example. Like a lot of people should lead by example. But I chose this year to lead by experience because I have done it all. I have been injured. I have been on winning teams. I have been on sorry teams. I have been on mid, average teams. Experience is going to go far with me and Rahsul.”
