He also holds the Seahawks' record for most yards in a postseason game (161), accomplished in the 2016–17 Wild Card Round against the Detroit Lions.

[4] He was a unanimous All-State selection, was named Most Valuable Player in the Saginaw Valley League, Player of the Year on The Flint Journal's All-Area Team, he had offers from University of Michigan, Central Michigan, Toledo and Cincinnati[5][6] Rawls also lettered in track & field at Flint Northern; at the 2010 Regional Meet, he placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.8 seconds.

[9][10] After a good showing in his freshman season, Rawls was picked by Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com as one of five Michigan players likely to surprise in 2012.

[12][13][14] In January 2014, it was announced that Rawls was transferring to Central Michigan University to play his senior season for the Chippewas.

Rawls finished the season with 1,103 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, despite playing in seven of the team's 13 games due to suspension and injury.

He began as a backup along with Fred Jackson to starter Marshawn Lynch and saw his first game action in the season opener for Seattle against the St. Louis Rams.

On September 27, 2015, Rawls saw his first meaningful playing time in a game, rushing for 104 yards in relief of an injured Lynch.

[29] Continuing to fill-in for the injured Lynch, Rawls rushed for 169 yards on October 11, 2015, including a 69-yard touchdown run in a game against the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals.

[30] With Lynch again sidelined with an abdomen injury, Rawls started his third career game, this time against the Seahawks' division rival San Francisco 49ers, on November 22, 2015.

[34] Rawls continued his breakout campaign with touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings in Weeks 12 and 13, respectively.

[39] In Week 2, Rawls left the game after suffering a fractured fibula and finished the loss with 7 rushing attempts for −7 yards against the Los Angeles Rams.

[43] He holds the Seahawks' record for most yards in a postseason game (161), accomplished on January 7, 2017, versus the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round in the 26–6 victory.

[54] Rawls was arrested in the spring of 2014 for an April 8 incident in which he and two companions were charged with stealing a 62-year-old woman's purse from a casino.

[55] In October 2014, Rawls pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempted larceny and was sentenced to a year's probation and 104 hours of community service.