COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina Gamecocks running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is one of 12 semifinalists for the prestigious College Football Comeback Player of the Year Award. Awarded by the College Sports Communicators, the Associated Press (AP), and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, this high honor recognizes college athletes’ resilience and perseverance through great adversity.
The 6-foot, 230-pound Sanders, a Florida native from Rockledge, is in his first season in South Carolina. Before this, he spent three seasons at Arkansas, with his 2022 showing landing him All-SEC honors. Released by the Lions in May 1999, Sanders rushed for 1,443 yards and ten touchdowns on 222 carries that season.
His promising trajectory, however, was derailed in 2023 by injuries, and he saw just 62 carries for 209 yards. Not discouraged, Sanders committed himself to an intense off season rehabilitation program, laying the foundation for his thunderous return in 2024. This season, he has fearlessly guided the Gamecocks with 183 carries, gaining 881 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. Sanders has undoubtedly propped up South Carolina’s offense, averaging 73.4 yards per game and 4.8 yards per rush. He has also been a factor as a receiver, catching 27 passes for 316 yards and two more touchdowns, and has helped lead Carolina to six straight wins and a 9-3 record overall.
“When I see that green grass, I think, ‘Man, lovely,’” Sanders said after gaining 126 yards and scoring two touchdowns in a 28-7 win at then-No. 24 Vanderbilt.
The Comeback Player of the Year Award, which started in 2018, recognizes college football student-athletes who have overcome injury, illness, or adversity submitted by an unrestricted third party. Each year, a panel of college football writers, editors, and sports information directors votes for the Comeback Players of the Year at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Sanders’s remarkable comeback season is an impressive run of resilience and dedication that makes him an emphatic candidate to be the man to take home the prestigious award in college football.