Rahsul Faison runs the 40-yard dash during USC’s pro day at the The Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility, 3/17/26. Jeff Blake Jeff Blake Photo
Three years before Rahsul Faison got his chance to wear an NFL uniform, he decided to put the league’s logo on his body permanently.
“This has been my dream since I was like four years old,” Faison said of the NFL shield tattooed on his left arm. “I just got that tattoo when I overcame some adversity I had at home, and I told myself when I get back out there, I’m gonna get there.”
Faison, who spent the last of his seven collegiate seasons at South Carolina and rushed for a team-high 470 yards on 96 carries, has faced more than his share of challenges in college. Faison’s journey now culminates in a run at the NFL draft. He took the next step in that process by participating in USC’s pro day on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s drills were just one of many steps the former Gamecock running back has taken in the case an NFL team comes calling in the 2026 NFL Draft or signs him as an undrafted free agent. He’s been preparing all offseason in Davie, Florida, alongside other potential NFL draftees (and says he’s lost 19 pounds since the offseason began). He participated in the 2026 Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine.
“I told myself I gotta go get it, and that’s what I’m doing right now,” Faison said. “It’s a blessing, because I’ve been through a lot in my own career and my journey, and I finally made it to this point. It just means everything. I’m super grateful to be here, for sure.”
What Faison is hearing about his NFL draft profile
Faison said he talked to all 32 NFL teams while at the NFL Combine Feb. 27 - March 1 in Indianapolis. He said his conversations with the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles stuck out to him as meetings that went particularly well.
“I like the Cowboys, man. We had a great talk. The Minnesota Vikings, for sure. Obviously, the Philadelphia Eagles as well. So a few teams for sure stuck out to me.”
A product of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, about 96 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Faison didn’t hide his feelings about the prospect of playing for his hometown team.
“That would be a blessing to be at home, but I’m open to going everywhere,” he said.
Two AFC scouts who spoke with The State said they were impressed with Faison’s physique and field-drill work.
“Ran 4.65 which isn’t ideal,” one of the scouts said. “But backs need vision over speed.”
Faison’s 40-yard dash was timed officially at 4.60 seconds per a USC release.
Reflecting on a long college journey
Perhaps the biggest red flag in Faison’s scouting profile is the one he has the least control over: his age. Faison is 26 as of Feb. 20. By the time the NFL season begins on Sept. 10, he will be closer to 27 than 26 by 39 days.
Faison’s above-average age for a prospective NFL rookie is a byproduct of his long college career.
He originally intended to begin his career at Stony Brook in 2018, but academic issues prevented him from doing so. He instead played a prep season with The Salisbury School in Connecticut.
Faison enrolled at Marshall as a freshman in 2019 but grayshirted due to additional academic credit problems, meaning he was a student at Marshall but would have to wait to join the team or earn a scholarship. He never played for Marshall and didn’t take a college snap for more than two years.
He enrolled at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2020 and Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, in 2021. He didn’t play football until his second year at Snow before transferring and playing two seasons at Utah State in 2023 and 2024. Faison rushed for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in two seasons with the Aggies.
Faison petitioned the NCAA for a seventh year of eligibility (in which he only played football for three seasons, one of them in junior college), and was granted a final season as a graduate student after nine months of back-and-forth with the NCAA. He said he thinks his age shouldn’t be a problem when NFL teams factor in the minimal wear on his body.
“I’m super healthy. I haven’t had any injuries. I only played three and a half seasons. I don’t have a lot of touches on my body,” Faison said.
Faison said his experiences have prepared him for anything in life after college football.
“I’ve been to multiple places. I’ve dealt with a lot of adversity, so nothing I’m walking into can phase me,” he said. “I’m ready for whatever.”