Tigers Today: Travis Etienne getting reps at new position in NFL

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Travis Etienne adjusting to new position in NFL

Former Clemson star Travis Etienne was a two-time ACC Player of the Year, leaving the Tigers as the most prolific running back in conference history.

That’s why he went No. 25 overall in this year’s NFL Draft a few weeks ago to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the running back spent the past weekend at rookie minicamp taking the majority of his snaps at wide receiver.

“At the worst-case scenario, you have a running back with the skill set of a wide receiver,” Jags coach Urban Meyer said. “Best-case scenario, you’ll have a hybrid player who does both, and that’s what we’re hoping to develop out of Travis.”

Etienne has been open about the position switch. One of the reasons why he returned to Clemson for a final season was to improve on his pass-catching skills. He proved his worth this last season with 48 receptions for 588 yards and two touchdowns.

“I feel great about it,” Etienne said. “It’s going to help me maximize my opportunity and skillset. I feel like coach knows what he’s doing and I think it’s going to work out well. … Football is a game of matchups. We’re just trying to get the best matchups. I feel like he knows what he’s doing and I think it’s going to work out well.”

Tigers men’s golf seventh after first round of NCAA Regional

Clemson shot a three-over-par 287 in the opening round on Monday of the NCAA Kingston Regional at The Golf Club of Tennessee, standing in seventh place after the first day.

Just the top-five teams from the 13-team Kingston Regional will advance to the NCAA National Tournament from May 28 to June 2 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Tigers are only six shots off the fifth-place cutline, but they’ll have to improve over the final 36 holes.

N.C. State and Kent State are tied for the lead at seven-under-par 277. Play continues Tuesday morning and can be followed at golfstat.com.

Different mindset should help Clemson o-line improve

The Tigers just lost their best offensive lineman, Jackson Carman, to the NFL.

Clemson allowed 20 sacks in 12 games this past season, ranking 32nd nationally in sacks allowed per game. The Tigers struggled to create holes for Travis Etienne, too. But with proven starters and plenty of young talent, ClemsonSports.com senior writer Matt Connolly believes the o-line will turn it around.

Connolly broke down why he thinks the improvement will come:

But to me, it’s all starts with the mindset.

The unit has heard all offseason about how it was the weak point on the team last year and how it held Clemson’s offense back. That talk will likely continue all the way up until the opener against Georgia on Sept. 4. That motivation should push the Tigers throughout the summer, during fall camp, against Georgia and throughout the 2021 season.

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