Dabo Swinney comments on possibility of RB Tavien Feaster transferring to rival South Carolina
Clemson RB Tavien Feaster is in the NCAA transfer portal, and it seems as if he’s going to eventually leave the Tigers.
One program that could be in the mix to land him is South Carolina, Clemson’s in-state rival. South Carolina could potentially offer him the RB1 spot he desires, so it would be an interesting landing spot.
On Wednesday, coach Dabo Swinney was asked how he’d feel if Feaster transferred to the Gamecocks. Per The Clemson Insider, Swinney gave a thoughtful and touching answer:
“It does not make me love him any less. It does not make me appreciate him any less,” the Clemson coach said. “He is one of the best young men that I have had. He is going to graduate this summer. If that is what is on his heart and he feels like that is what he needs to do, then all you can do is support him.
“Again, I am disappointed (he is leaving), but it does not make me love him any less and it should not make anyone else love him any less regardless of where he goes. He has done a phenomenal job in his time here. He has been a model guy and I wish him nothing but the best wherever he might go.”
Feaster ran for 1,330 yards and 15 touchdowns in his three years at Clemson, so he has plenty of talent. However, with Travis Etienne coming back, Feaster wouldn’t get the work he desires.
South Carolina would be an interesting new school for him, so we’ll see what he eventually decides.
You know that’s the last thing he wants
I think he wanted weapons around him though…
Stanford doesn’t have an obvious successor to Bryce Love. He’d get some exposure, although I don’t think Shaw is very big on players coming in late. He wants them there early.
Michigan is another school I thought of that hasn’t been listed. Michigan is losing Karan Higdon and right now the RB room is an absolute mystery due to 2 injuries and someone having academic issues. Plus the Wolverines could surround him with more talent than the Gamecocks. We all know about ESPN’s blind love for Michigan, so that will give him a lot of exposure. Then again we all thought Kelly would transfer to Auburn because of the exposure, but he chose Mizzou.
A lot of people on the Tigernet forum were talking about how he’d be dishonoring CJ Spiller and the #28 by transferring to SCAR. Plus the exposure is better at Michigan than at South Carolina, and since Michigan doesn’t have a true successor to Higdon, Feaster could be that guy for a year. So why risk your Clemson legacy going to your most hated rival, when there are other schools with absolutely no beef with Clemson that have a better situation for you, both in terms of surrounding talent, national exposure, and a very prominent role?
“I think he wanted weapons around him though…” then why would he have left Cowpatch. In terms of looking for a program high visibility and national exposure, i wondered the same thing about Kelly Bryant – why Missouri ? Also, Michigan plays Big 10 schedule (mostly soft opponents) ..not SEC.
Kelly wanted to run a pro-style offense and also wanted to be sure he’d win the starting job. Chad Morris at Arkansas runs the same spread that Dabo runs at Clemson (a lot of RPOs), and we all know Gus would have run Kelly into the ground. I think Mizzou’s community also showed him more love than Auburn’s did.
As far as staying at Clemson, that’s not going to help him. Lyn-J is probably going to eat into his carries, and probably all the targets are going to be divided between ETN, Justyn Ross, and Tee Higgins. There just won’t be room for him. He wouldn’t be getting “meaningful snaps” like some Clemson fans are saying. Last year ETN had 15 carries a game while Feaster had just 6. Even with Kelly gone, he still won’t have many carries. If he went to Michigan, he’d be the featured back and he could inflate his stats against softer run defenses (although outside of Clemson and Florida State, I wasn’t inspired by anyone’s run D last year in the ACC).
I hope we get him but I’m not sure we will, he would definitely be the starter but he said he wants to go somewhere that will contend for the playoff which isn’t us. I think Oklahoma may be a good fit even though he would be sharing reps there as well I’m sure.
Come to USC and be part of the team that breaks the ridiculous 5 game losing streak to KY