Carr’s Prospect Corner
Travis Etienne (RB-Clemson)
Age: 22 (January 26, 1999)
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 205 lbs
BMI: 29.4
BOA: 18.7
24/7 Sports Composite: 0.9171 (4-Star)
Injury History: NONE
Awards/Records:
3x First Team All-ACC (2018-2020)
1x Third Team All-ACC (2017)
2x ACC POTY (2018-2019)
ACC’s All Time Career Rushing Yard Leader
ACC’s All Time Career Rushing TD Leader
ACC’s All Time Career Total TDs Leader
ACC’s All Time Career Point Leader
(All numbers gathered via PFF College Premium Stats, all % are calculated)
(Rush Attempts are based off of designed runs)
High School:
Travis Etienne in high school flat out produced for Jennings High School in Louisiana. Etienne saw him rush for 7,518 rushing yards, 103 rushing touchdowns, caught 18 receptions for 421 receiving yards and took back 22 kickoff returns for 822 yards. Etienne accumulated 115 total touchdowns and 8,864 total yards in 42 total career games. Back in his junior year, Etienne initially committed as a 3 star recruit to play for the Texas A&M Aggies early but after he saw his stock rise to 4 star status, he started to gain more power 5 school offers. 7 months after decommitting from Texas A&M, Etienne then committed to the Clemson Tigers after visiting with them. Etienne at that time was the 15th ranked RB in the country and the 9th ranked player out of Louisiana according to 24/7 Sports Composite.
Dabo Swinney was asked a week before Clemson’s first game in 2017 about Etienne and compared him to past Clemson running backs, CJ Spiller and Andre Ellington. “He’s right there with those guys,” Swinney said. “He’s a little different, but he’s got some attributes of Ellington. He’s a very natural runner. Faster, but he’s got some explosiveness of a Spiller. He’s got it all” (The State)
Freshman:
Swinney was right about Etienne, the explosiveness was shown in his first game of his college career against Kent State when he ripped off a 54 yard run. He was caught but that can be attributed to being slowed down during his run when he ran into the referee.
Clip taken from ESPN
Etienne would continue to show that ability throughout the season, ripping off big run after big run in multiple games in his freshman season including runs of 81 yards against Louisville, 50 yards against Boston College, and 52 yards against Syracuse. Etienne was named third team All-ACC after leading the team in rushing yards (766) and rushing touchdowns (13) while splitting time with Tavien Feaster and Adam Choice. Etienne led all freshman running backs in yards after contact per attempt (min 60 attempts) with an average of 4.82 yards. That number was also good for 5th among all FBS running backs. Etienne showed off his exceptional contact balance ability from the very start.
Sophomore:
Etienne in his sophomore season was given the keys to be Clemson’s starting running back and he more than delivered on what was a dominant sophomore campaign for Etienne. Etienne’s 1,658 rushing yards are the most by any Clemson running back ever in a single season. Etienne’s 24 touchdown runs that season are also the most by any Clemson running back ever in a single season. Considering how Etienne did this with 204 total carries on the season is remarkable. It is as efficient as it gets for a running back. Etienne’s historic sophomore campaign saw him be named first team All-ACC, a Doak Walker award finalist (Best RB in the nation), and the ACC’s player of the year. Etienne also helped lead Clemson to a national championship game win over Alabama when he had 91 total yards and 3 touchdowns in that game to put the icing on the cake for his incredible year.
Junior:
Etienne’s junior season didn’t see him take a major drop off at all. He would go on to have another productive season for Clemson where he would run for 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns on 207 carries. A slight downgrade from his season last year, however Etienne saw a massive uptick in his work in the passing game.
Etienne before the 2019 season had some very alarming comments about when talking about his concentration catching passes, "I feel nervous I guess. Cause the ball is coming, and I always feel like the defender is right there, so I run before I catch the ball and get spooked by my surroundings” (Greg Brandt).
Etienne had 4 drops out of his 17 targets in his 2018 season (23.5% drop rate). However, Etienne was able to shake off his demons in the 2019 season when he had 3 drops out of his 40 targets (7.5% drop rate) which was much more improved than the season prior. Etienne’s total receiving production in 2019 saw him catch 37 passes for 433 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Etienne once again with another productive season under his belt, he was once again named 1st Team All-ACC and ACC player of the year, he was named a Doak Walker award semifinalist, a Maxwell Award semifinalist, and a first team All-American. Etienne in this season also passed Raymond Priester for the most rushing yards in school history and passed James Conner for the most total touchdowns in ACC history by a running back. This solidified himself as one of the best running backs in Clemson history, but Etienne wasn’t finished just yet.
Senior:
Etienne wanted to become the best running back in school history. Etienne decided to forego the NFL draft to return for his senior year. Etienne took a dip in his production. Etienne carried the ball 168 times for 914 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 48 passes for 588 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Although Etienne’s season was rather disappointing to his standards, he still had an incredible year because he solidified himself as one of the most decorated players in ACC history. Etienne broke Ted Brown’s record for the most rushing yards in ACC history and joined elite company when he hit the 70 rushing touchdown mark which only 5 other players in NCAA history have ever reached. Etienne would rack up more awards, earning a consensus All-American selection, another nod as a Doak Walker Award finalist and a Paul Hornung award finalist (most versatile player in the nation).
Etienne would finish his Clemson career with 4,952 rushing yards, 70 rushing touchdowns, 102 receptions, 1,155 receiving yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns. One of the most productive running backs in NCAA history.
Metrics:
Etienne checks a lot of metrical boxes. He was able to produce right away as an 18 year old true freshman giving him an early breakout age with a 15% dominator rating that year. He developed into a good pass catcher which is valuable in today’s NFL, and he has the athleticism that you want to see. I think what I would knock him for is that he isn’t the most ideal weight you're looking for in an every down back. He’s 205 pounds but I still think that’s good enough not a huge knock, his talent outweighs that.
Film:
Clips taken from ABC, ACC Network, and ESPN
Etienne’s best trait is how explosive he is and throughout these clips you can just see that anytime he touches the ball, it’s an immediate threat for him to take it to the house. Etienne in his sophomore and junior seasons was ranked 4th both years in PFF’s breakaway % with both of those seasons seeing 50% + of his yards coming from runs of 15 yards or more. Etienne had been reported to run a 4.38 when he was in high school so the speed is ELITE.
Clips taken from ABC, ACC Network, and ESPN
Etienne’s other best trait he possesses is his contact balance. He isn’t necessarily the most agile running back when it comes to breaking tackles but he breaks tackles through power. He is stronger than you may think. Etienne from 2018-2020 was in the top 10 on PFF in their running back elusive rating, highlighted by his 2019 season when he was #1 in college football in this stat and in that 2019 season he led the NCAA in avoided tackles with 91.
If there are any weaknesses to Etienne’s game I think there are a couple things that I would point out. He needs to polish up his pass blocking techniques, there were a few times where he was getting blown by but that’s something that can be coached. His vision also at times can be a little inconsistent. I think that’s due to him always looking to make a big play rather than waiting for his blocks to develop but it’s not a major concern for me right now.
Verdict:
Etienne’s career accolades and statistics cannot be looked over. What he did at Clemson was spectacular, from all of the awards and school and conference records he broke, he has the resume you're looking for in a top tier running back prospect.
For me personally, I really like this player and I think he will be a nice weapon for a team to utilize. Alvin Kamara is what a lot of scouts say Etienne reminds them of and I can’t say they’re wrong. Etienne’s has great ability in the open field to make defenders miss with his strength and the contact balance after he does so is what Kamara has done so well throughout his NFL career. Etienne is faster I think than Kamara so that’s the type of ceiling we could be looking at here with this player.
He doesn’t fit the workhorse/every down running back profile considering his size and how he wasn’t a guy who was getting 20 carries a game for Clemson, but if he’s Kamara, then he will prove to be extremely valuable for an NFL team.
I see potential fits for Etienne being the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, and the Miami Dolphins. I think he’s a first round talent but will probably be drafted in the second round and will be one of the first running backs off the board in this year’s draft.