USC and Clemson recruited him. Now he’s ready to take on Tigers with Ohio State
There was a time when South Carolina seemed very much in the recruiting mix with Tennessee running back Master Teague III. The Gamecocks were one of his top offers and he still has a few crystal ball predictions for USC on 247Sports as a testament to that.
Ultimately, Ohio State stepped up and pulled him in. Clemson was a factor late in the process, and Saturday he’ll face the Tigers in the Fiesta Bowl.
But he still has some warm feelings for the USC coaches.
“I didn’t get anything bad to say about South Carolina,” said Teague, a redshirt freshman. “They’re a great school. I love the coaches there. But, at the end of the day, I just felt like Ohio State was place for me to be.”
Teague isn’t the only player on the Buckeyes roster with some tie to the Palmetto State. Corner Damon Arnette was once a South Carolina commit. Defensive lineman Antwuan Jackson is the brother of former Gamecock Bryson Allen-Williams.
Teague has taken a slightly unorthodox route at Ohio State. A top-250 running back recruit doesn’t usually take a redshirt year. But with the new redshirt rule, he only got 17 carries in four games.
He said that was his choice, not to waste a year getting scraps here and there behind Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins. This year he’s blossomed behind Dobbins, putting up 780 yards and four touchdowns.
And he’s relishing a chance to face off against a team the quality of the Tigers.
“Ready to go,” Teague said. “It’s a great team over there. We’ve got to be on our stuff, we’ve got to be on our game.”
When does Ohio State play Clemson?
Who: Clemson (13-0) vs. Ohio State (13-0)
Where: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28
TV: ESPN
Early line: Clemson by 2
