Rankin graduated from Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, California.

[2] He then went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in English language.

[5] On 11 August 2007 he won the Emsley Carr Mile in Manchester, England in a personal best time of 3:54.24,[1] A year later in 2008, at the time of the United States Olympic Trials, he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), although his official diagnosis didn't come about until the end of 2008.

[6] FSGS is estimated to occur in 2-3 persons per million, with males and African peoples at higher risk.

[1] Since graduating, outside of athletics, Rankin has been a freelance senior copywriter, and since 2018 he has been the chief executive officer of both Go Be More and Catchy Content Co.[10]