All-American RB Trevor Etienne joins forces with the Florida Gators, breaks down decision
Billy Napier made a splash in the headlines on Saturday, as four-star running back Trevor Etienne committed to the Florida Gators.
Etienne, who also considered Clemson and LSU, made his decision known at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He is the first running back in the class and 13th commitment overall. That number also includes transfers Jack Miller and Kamryn Waites.
A product of Jennings (La.) High, Etienne is the brother of Jaguars running back and former Clemson star, Travis Etienne. He is the 23rd-ranked running back and 290th-ranked player overall in the On3 Consensus.
The Tigers were obviously under consideration and hosted him for an official visit in December; however, Etienne wants to carve out his own path and envisions himself reaching new heights while with the Gators.
“It’s something new,” Etienne told On3’s Jeremy Johnson. “I wanted to see myself doing something new and doing something I haven’t experienced. My brother went to Clemson. I’ve been to LSU a couple of times. I’ve never really been to Florida. That’s something I want to experience.”
Although Billy Napier has only been in Gainesville for roughly a month, Etienne is already more than accustomed to the Gators head coach. That strong level of familiarity made his decision that much easier.
“Him taking the job kind of took a weight off my shoulders for now knowing who was going to be there,” Etienne said. “I had a great relationship with coach Napier from UL. I live 30 minutes from there. We had that relationship with each other. That was just another win for me.”
Etienne is returning to the Swamp next weekend
On Jan. 14, Etienne will be returning to the Swamp for his official visit. That will mark his third visit to campus, as the previous Gators staff hosted him last summer and most recently for the Florida State game.
It also helps that his brother will reside just an hour away in Jacksonville, allowing the family to attend home games for both brothers. The Gators check off a number of boxes for Etienne, but there is no doubt that proximity advantage helped catapult them over the top.
“I fell in love with the place when I went there,” Etienne said. “That’s somewhere I could see myself living. I just love the state of Florida.”
In addition to the aforementioned schools, Etienne previously earned offers from Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee among others.
“I just want to be on a team where everyone wants it as bad as I do,” Etienne said. “We go out there and work hard every day, that’s all I ask for from other guys and from myself.”
Additional Gators commits taking part in the action today are defensive back Devin Moore and defensive tackle Chris McClellan.
UF targets Trevonte Citizien, another running back, and Auburn defensive line commit Caden Story are lacing up the cleats in San Antonio as well.
Story is officially visiting the Gators later this month, while Citizen has Florida in his top group and is likely to schedule an official visit as well.
Stay tuned to Gators Online.
