SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
Clemson graduate transfer running back Tavien Feaster has been one of the major topics of discussion in the state of South Carolina this week as the former Spartanburg High four-star running back tries to focus in on where he'll play his final season of college football eligibility.
Feaster sat down with WSPA News 7's Todd Summers earlier this week for a one-on-one about the transfer process and his upcoming new decision.
As Gamecock Central reported last week, Feaster holds an offer from South Carolina, and the big-time back confirmed that he's heard from the Gamecocks plus schools like Alabama, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State and East Carolina.
While Feaster didn't name a favorite in the interview, he was asked specifically about the reaction to him considering South Carolina as the next step in his football life.
"I've been getting a lot of grief about that, but at the end of the day, it is a business decision," Feaster said. "Like, I had the school, and the fun, being an undergrad, but this is a business decision. This is what I need on the table right now and for me to go out and show my talents. This is what this moment is about for me in my life. And if it happens, it happens. I'm not saying it will; I'm not saying it won't. But at the end of the day, it will be the best thing for me, and the best thing for me to provide for my family and that's what it is."
The Spartanburg, S.C. native appeared in 41 career games at Clemson, including 11 starts, rushing for 1,330 career yards and 15 touchdowns on 222 carries (5.99 YPC). He added 23 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown.
While he had flashes of brilliance, and made big plays for the Tigers (his yards per carry ranks second in school history), he was never the feature back in a crowded Clemson backfield.
Feaster is hoping for an opportunity to show NFL scouts everything he can do, among the other major factors in his new decision.
"The scheme of which I'm going to play in, that's very important to me," he said. "Going somewhere where they're going to utilize all my talents and show all my capabilities of what I have to provide. And definitely the coaching staff, that's important, getting along with your coaches. Clemson has taught me a lot of that. They have great coaches down there and it was a pleasure being around those guys. And definitely, your teammates, you're going to need to know them and go to a place where they have talent already and you can go in there and just provide a bigger spark for them."
Feaster wants to have a decision made by no later than mid-summer so that he can have a playbook in hand by then to get ready for his senior season.
He'll finish his final classes and graduate from Clemson this summer.
Now listed at 5-foot-11, 220-pounds, Feaster was ranked the No. 3 all-purpose back in the 2016 class by Rivals.com and the top player in the state.
