Trevor Etienne announced as starter for Georgia home opener
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia running back Trevor Etienne was announced as a starter pregame on Saturday before the Bulldogs take on Tennessee Tech. Should he see the field during today’s contest, as would be indicated by the video board announcement, it would be his UGA debut.
The Florida transfer did not play against Clemson in UGA’s season-opener after an offseason arrest, leading to speculation of a suspension. DUI charges were dropped, but Etienne still pled no contest to reckless driving and guilty to other misdemeanor offenses. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart chose however not to share any comment on Etienne’s situation this week, or in weeks prior, citing a desire to keep his player’s names out of the press as much as possible and “not drag their names through the mud” for mistakes.
Etienne spent the last two seasons at Florida before transferring to Georgia in the offseason. The younger brother of former Clemson standout and Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Etienne, Trevor chose the Gators out of high school looking to do something different. LSU, Clemson and Georgia were among schools considered throughout the process.
In two seasons with the Gators, Etienne proved to be one of the SEC’s top backs. He finished second on Florida’s roster in rushing in back to back seasons, topping the 700-yard mark each year and totaling a combined 1,472 yards and 15 touchdowns. Only making matters more impressive is the fact that he did it in a two-headed workhorse backfield alongside Montrell Johnson. Etienne averaged more yards per attempt than Johnson with 6.09 as a freshman and 5.75 as a sophomore. He also managed to add a dynamic ability as a pass catcher.
Etienne put together an impressive spring at Georgia aside from his off field incident. That didn’t stop his head coach and teammates from praising him.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. I think he’s a great kid, great person. We’ve gotten to know his family. He enjoys being coached. He’s a bright kid and we push him hard out there. He really loves the competition, but as we also know, sometimes kids don’t make the best decisions,” Smart said this spring. “The older you get, sometimes the tougher the consequences are for your mistakes. He’s not going to let this mistake define him. He’s embarrassed, upset and knows he made a mistake. It’s a teaching moment, and we hope he gets better from it … Disappointed in his decision making, but he is a good kid.”
“Everything that we heard about Etienne before he got here has held true,” Smart added on a separate occasion. “He’s a tremendous leader, he’s a high-character kid. He immediately surges into a leadership role because he’s not a first-year player. He’s been in our league, he’s been in our conference, he has standards and expectations and he’s high character, and he’s proven that in the time he’s been here.”
Kickoff time for Georgia-Tennessee Tech is set for 2:00 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium. For information on how to watch the stream-only contest on SEC Network+ and ESPN+, be sure to check out DawgsHQ’s ‘How to Watch’ guide.
