What Trevor Etienne will bring to Georgia offense after offseason transfer

For the last two seasons, Trevor Etienne was a key piece of the Florida offense. He finished second on the team in rushing both years before deciding to enter the transfer portal – and he committed to a conference rival.

Etienne was one of the biggest pickups for Georgia this offseason, bolstering a running game that is preparing to lose Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton to the 2024 NFL Draft. Those two combined for 1,670 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns a season ago, meaning the Bulldogs had to find a way to replace that production.

DawgsHQ’s Jake Rowe pointed out the numbers Edwards and Milton put up, but noted Etienne brings an interesting skillset that could work well in Georgia’s system.

“Georgia got a high level of play out of Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton this past year. I wouldn’t take a single thing away from those guys,” Rowe told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “Kendall Milton, actually towards the end of the year when he got healthy, looked like one of the better Georgia running backs in the past, like, five or six years. I mean, he looked really good.

“But Trevor Etienne brings kind of a Kenny McIntosh, Sony Michel, somewhere between those two elements of the offense – D’Andre Swift, even. As far as his pass-catching and ability to get it to him quick, see what he can do with the ball, I do think he can he can help Georgia with more explosives, both in the run and the pass game.”

One of the concerns about Etienne, though, is his blocking ability in pass protection. But Rowe said that might not be a big deal at Georgia, and running backs coach Dell McGee is a big part of that. His ability to get players at that position on the right track could be another key part of Etienne’s success.

But just looking at his playmaking ability alone, Rowe thinks Etienne is going to be a big-time addition for the Bulldogs.

“Dell McGee has done a really good job over the years of taking these backs in and kind of stressing to them and getting through them with a little bit of a pass-blocking whisper or whatever,” Rowe said. “He’s gotten some guys that are ready to play, kind of in short order like that. Trevor Etienne, that’s not the only guy ever that there’s been a knock on at running back. … They don’t do it in high school. But I do think that that’s such a massive addition for Georgia because they’ve had a look at him.

“I mean, if you’ve ever had a chance to watch the Real Talk podcast with Tate Ratledge and whoever is helping him host that, one of the things that he said months ago was that when they go into the SEC schedule [in] 2022, the thinking was that Trevor Etienne was one of the best backs on that schedule. And now, he’s going to wear a Georgia uniform.”