Trevor Etienne looks to forge his own path at Florida
There’s a good chance that when Florida signed four-star running back Trevor Etienne in February most of the country was checking to see if he was related to former Clemson star and now Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
When a quick Google search reveals the Etiennes indeed share a bloodline, and the immediate follow-up is something along the lines of “is he going to be as good or better than his brother?”
That’s not a new question for the younger of the siblings, according to a recent piece from The Athletic. Trevor grew up in Travis’ shadow, and the latter believes it has benefited him enough to give him a leg up on most other players at his level.
“It accelerated his process, because he knew what having success looked like,” said Travis. “He knew what it took, knew what he needed to do. He’s only 18 now, but the way he carries himself is far beyond his years.”
Of course, Trevor is his own person and that’s why he opted not to follow his older brother’s path to Clemson. Donnetta Etienne, the matriarch of the family, provided some insight on the decision to go with Florida over other programs.
“We knew Clemson had good people, but Trevor didn’t want to travel behind his brother,” Donnetta said. “He wants his own legacy, which we understand. Travis paved his way there, and so Trevor needed to pave his own way at his own school.”
Greg Knox, Florida’s last running backs coach, earned Trevor’s silent commitment in October. Dan Mullen, and Knox as well as the rest of the staff, were let go in November, but Etienne didn’t back off the commitment. Playing just 71 miles away from his brother, and giving the recently relocated family a chance to see both sons in action, was too good to pass up.
Billy Napier’s addition of Jabbar Juluke, who recruited Travis at LSU and Trevor at Texas Tech and Louisiana, further convinced the family Florida was the right landing spot for him.
Trevor got to Gainesville in May and has since become a leader among the freshmen on the team. He actively recruits players to join the program and has a shot to break into a rotation of relatively inexperienced running backs.
Will Etienne end up breaking school records as his brother did at Clemson? That remains to be seen, but he has enough potential to be something special at Florida. His brother’s success showed him what it takes to be a campus legend, and now he’s using that knowledge to start his college career on the right foot.
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