What adding Tavien Feaster could mean, and not mean, for Gamecocks backfield

So South Carolina just added another body to its running back room.

In Tavien Feaster, the Gamecocks get a football player with experience in a Power 5 league. He might well step in as the team’s most talented tailback just by joining the roster.

What does this mean for the Gamecocks backfield in 2019? It’s worth considering the impact and what it doesn’t necessarily guarantee.

What the move could mean

If Feaster is as good as many hope, he could give the Gamecocks the No. 1 tailback they’ve not truly had since the end of 2016, when a freshman Rico Dowdle carried the load and looked like a possible workhorse.

Dowdle is still there, plus Mon Denson, A.J. Turner and a trio of underclassmen. But if Feaster is as advertised, there’s a good chance he could be better than all of them.

At 5-foot-11, 216 pounds, he’s not necessarily a power guy, but he can do well enough there. When he was a Spartanburg High School star and the No. 29 recruit in the country, his speed was his top attribute, and that came through at times in Clemson.

Two years ago, on carries when he gained at least five yards, he averaged 12.5, a pretty good number to show big-play potential. His explosiveness was down last season, but his efficiency rose significantly.

He’s a guy blessed with the ability to make plays, and that’s what the Gamecocks need.

Last season, there was a repeated refrain that the offensive line was mostly doing its job, but backs were not making opponents miss or breaking the needed tackle to turn a 2- to 3-yard gain into a bigger play.

Feaster has the potential to fix that issue and take one of the top two spots the team projects to have in its backfield. In three years in the Upstate, he averaged 6 yards a carry and posted 1,330 yards in modest roles in the backfield.

The fallout from that leaves three veterans fighting for what amounts to one spot. It could mean more A.J. Turner on defense and almost assuredly boosts special teams, with more of the load getting shared. Feaster hasn’t returned kicks since his sophomore year, but he could perhaps do well there.

What it does not mean

Although Feaster has the ability to step in and possibly become the lead back in his lone season on campus, him doing that is not a slam dunk.

Transfers often get a bit of a sheen to them. Many, like Feaster, have experience somewhere else, showing they’re at least good enough to carve out a role. Some merely came with a lot of recruiting hype and talent.

But that hasn’t always guaranteed much success in Columbia.

In the Muschamp era, USC has added the likes of Ty’Son Williams, J.T. Ibe, Nick Harvey, Josh Belk and Jamel Cook.

Williams had promise as a top back, but it never happened. Harvey and Belk lasted less than a year, neither making much impact. Ibe lost a year to injury. And after a season in the program, Cook didn’t get glowing reviews from Muschamp.

That’s not to say Feaster can’t rise up as USC’s No. 1 tailback and deliver a sterling season, but it’s just not close to a given.

At SEC Media Days in Alabama, Muschamp said any newcomer, no matter how late he arrives, will have to earn his keep.

The next questions revolve around what kind of production he can deliver. Is 500 yards a good showing? Is 750? Hitting 900 or more would probably reach that point, as the Gamecocks haven’t seen a back top 764 yards since 2014.

What it means for recruiting

The addition squeezes the numbers a little tighter on the 2020 class. The Gamecocks have now added three players whose scholarships will count toward the next class, including two grad transfers who will only be around for one season.

That puts USC at eight spots left for 2020 with 14 committed. USC probably will add at least another tight end, maybe another running back and wide receiver, plus at least one more linebacker and a few more defensive linemen.

But if it pays off turning even one game in 2019, it’s worth it.

This story was originally published July 29, 2019 at 1:11 PM.