Muschamp wishes he 'had another year' with Feaster

After transferring from Clemson to South Carolina, Tavien Feaster was on the losing side of the rivalry game for the first time in his career on Saturday.

That didn’t stop him from enjoying the moment of playing his last collegiate game against the team he spent so much time playing for.

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“First off, it’s been a blessing to be able to play college football. It’s the last game of my college career so I’m just very thankful for the program, thankful for the trials and tribulations that it brought me,” Feaster said. “I’m forever grateful. Playing against those guys, I was joyful. We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted but it was just a joyful moment for me.

In his final season of college football, Feaster finished racking up 625 yards on 112 carries with five touchdowns after making the switch to South Carolina in August, finishing with 12 carries for 47 yards against his former teammates in his final college game.

And, despite the team only going 4-8 in his senior season, he's seen enough to believe in where the Gamecocks are headed.

“I came in here and played my hardest, gave it my all, gave the program my all for the short stint I was here,” Feaster said.

“Wins and losses didn’t happen for us, we lost more than we won but program-wise, they’re going in the right direction. If you go back on the games, we were so close, plays away each game that determined the outcome of the game.”

Will Muschamp spoke glowingly of the senior running back, relying heavily on him over the course of the year when the back was healthy.

“Tavien’s been outstanding. He’s been a model citizen. He’s extremely bright. He’s a really good player. He’s been a huge addition to our program in one year. He’s been a huge positive impact in everything we’ve asked him to do,” Muschamp said.

“I told him about three or four months ago I wish he was an underclassman, I wish we had another year with him. He’s just a guy you like having in the locker room.”

Feaster's time in college is done and his attention now switches from preparing for next season to preparing for the NFL Draft, which is just a few months away.

He'll always have a part of South Carolina with him and will continue to follow and track the program and maintain a good relationship with running backs coach Thomas Brown and two talented young players in Kevin Harris and Deshaun Fenwick.

“I know they’ve got a guy coaching them who’s gonna lay it all on the line for them every day. He’s gonna go out there and demand greatness from them,” Feaster said. “Those two young guys are gonna be great."

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