When Dabo Swinney sees Tavien Feaster wearing a garnet or black jersey when No. 3 Clemson visits Columbia on Nov. 30, it is going to be a little weird.

“That is definitely something I am sure you will process at the time,” Swinney said Monday during his weekly conference call with the media.

Feaster, who played for the Tigers the previous three years before graduating and transferring to South Carolina in August, will be the first player since Cary Cox in 1947 to play for both teams in the rivalry.

Cox played for Clemson in 1942 but was placed at South Carolina in 1943 through the V-12 Navy College Training Program. Cox was reluctant to play for the Gamecocks, but he was told he would not get a commission if he did not play against the Tigers. To make it even tougher, he was named captain for the game and led USC to a 33-6 win over the Tigers.

When he returned to Clemson in 1947, Cox captained the game for the Tigers’ in a losing effort.

Unlike Cox, Feaster was not forced to play for the Gamecocks. He left the Clemson program on his own so he could have an opportunity to carry the football more.

“It will be a little different because his name in my phone is still what he put in there as Tavien Feaster with two tigers (emojis) next to it.” Starting center Sean Pollard said. “I know our defense will mess around with him and I hope I get to see him before the game and share a few words with him. He’s a brother for life and teammate for life, and I know he had to make a business decision but we all respect him for it.”

At Clemson, Feaster rushed for 1,330 yards and 15 touchdowns and had one touchdown on 23 receptions for another 183 yards, while playing in 41 games. He started 11 games for the Tigers in 2017 and his 6.0 yards per carry average ranks second all-time at Clemson behind Travis Etienne.

“It’ll be weird seeing Tavien wear those colors. Tavien made a decision he needed to make for himself and it was certainly unorthodox,” offensive lineman Matt Bockhurst said. “It hasn’t happened very often before, I mean Josh Belk sort of switched. Tavien’s a friend of mine, it’s all respect. I’ll be excited to see him after the game, and since we’re both on offense I won’t get to play against him in the game. I hope he’s doing well down there.”

Feaster is expected to return from a groin injury when the Tigers and Gamecocks collide on Nov. 30. So far, in nine games this year, the Spartanburg native has rushed for 625 yards and scored 5 touchdowns, while also averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

“It’s like when we play Alabama. I have a lot of friends that are still there and things like that and you see them before the game. But when the game starts, you are just playing the game,” Swinney said. “You are not sitting around thinking about stuff like that. You are so locked in on the game and just trying to do what you can for your team. That is just kind of part of it.”

This will mark the second time this year, Swinney will face one of his former players. Former defensive end Richard Yeargin played for Boston College when it visited Death Valley on Oct. 26. Yeargin transferred to BC after graduating from Clemson last year.

“We played Boston College and Richard Yeargin, who I spent five years of my life with, know and love and respect, and he is over there … he did senior day at Clemson last year and now he is lined up for Boston College going against us,” Swinney said. “So, when the game starts, it is just another player out there. You are trying to focus on winning the game and doing what you have to do to give your guys a chance.”

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