Billy Napier offers high praise for Trevor Etienne’s value in Florida backfield

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•08/26/22•

AndrewEdGraham

He has a long way to go before he’s reached the level of his older brother — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne — but Florida freshman running back Trevor Etienne has impressed Billy Napier so far in camp. And while the new Gator is not in line to be making starts, he should end up contributing in some way for the Gators.

Napier was complimentary of Etienne’s physical gifts and work ethic so far through fall camp. On top of looking good carrying and catching the ball, Napier thinks Florida could deploy Etienne on kick and punt returns, too.

“I’ve been very pleased with Trevor,” Napier said. “There’s no question we made a good decision there. You know, was familiar with him, having evaluated him at Louisiana. You know, the guy’s 5’8.75″, he weighs 207 pounds, he’s loose, he’s got a low center of gravity. Catches the ball well. I think he’s got some returner value. So, the big thing with him is his character, his consistency. The guy shows up and works man. He’s gotten a little bit ahead of the game there, I think because of his brother’s experience.”

Etienne was heavily recruited as a prospect out of Jennings, Louisiana. He could’ve certainly followed his older brother to Clemson, where he had a scholarship offer. He also could’ve stayed close to home with LSU or several other SEC teams like Alabama, Auburn and Georgia.

But Etienne, a four-star prospect in the 2022 class according to the On3 Consensus rankings, opted to enroll at Florida and ply his talents in the SEC east. And even though he isn’t directly following his older brother, Etienne is certainly the beneficiary from seeing what Travis did.

Moreover, Napier just flat out likes the guy.

“You know, he’s from Jennings, Louisiana, man. This guy shows up here, it’s like he’s in New York City. So, I mean, he is a worker. He’s got a great attitude, he’s got a little sense of humor, I like him,” Napier said. “And I think he’s got a chance to be a good player for the Gators.”