By Hale McGranahan.

SPARTANBURG – Terrance Feaster didn’t need to watch his son accumulate 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in Spartanburg’s run to the state championship.

Terrance didn’t need to see his son become the state’s fastest man as a sophomore.

And he didn’t need to see the country’s best college football programs offer his son scholarships to know how good he could be at football.

Terrance saw it back when Tavien was in peewees.

“It was just too easy for him,” Terrance said. “(Tavien) always looked older and much bigger than the other kids. He was always faster. He was probably younger than most.

“And he just kept working. He followed his dream since pewee league, just kept working hard at it. Hey, it paid off.”

The payoff was Wednesday night’s announcement that Tavien had committed to Clemson.

“It’s a blessing,” Terrance said. “He worked hard. He deserves it. He worked hard on and off the field. I’m just happy to be apart of it, be there and watch his dream come true.”

Latasha McCree McElrathe enjoyed seeing her son experience the recruiting process and come to the conclusion that he wanted to take his immesne talents to Clemson.

“I’m proud and I’m happy, because this is a decision he made on his own,” she said.

Mom and dad offer did offer their guidance and two cents in their respective areas of expertise.

“I’m the one asking the background questions about education and Terry — he knows everything about the football, so he takes his information, I take my information and we put it together,” she said. “Once we sat down and figured out this was a good place for (Tavien) — even if he doesn’t have to play football this would be a great place for him, because of the people.”

At the heart of the contingent of folks in Clemson is Dabo Swinney.

“When (Tavien) talked to Dabo the first time, he talked a little about football. He talked about academics,” Terrance said. “It was an atmosphere, man. It’s that family atmosphere.

“Me and his mother just felt safe with him at Clemson…we were going to support him wherever he went, but it wasn’t just the coaching staff there, not just Dabo, not just the recruiters. Everybody in that building played a part in Tavien committing there.”

The success on the football field certainly helped, too.

“If they don’t get a national championship this year, they’ve got one coming,” Terrance said.