WATCH: Etienne reflects on freshman year, upbringing with brother Travis

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne met with the media for the first time Saturday following his 2022 campaign that earned him Freshman All-SEC honors.

The On300 recruit rushed for 718 yards and six touchdowns on 118 carries last year, forming one of the top RB duos in the country with fellow Louisiana native Montrell Johnson.

Etienne finished with the fourth most rushing yards by a true freshman RB in school history (highest total since Fred Taylor’s 873 yards in 1994) and ranked fourth among FBS frosh running backs with 6.1 yards per carry.

He had a season-high 129 yards at FSU, marking his second 100-yard game in three weeks. His 85-yard touchdown run vs. USC was the seventh-longest in school history and the second-longest rushing score among UF freshmen.

In the video below, Etienne discusses on his upbringing and relationship with his older brother, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, reflects on his freshman season and more.

Trevor Etienne quotes

On what put him in a position to have success in 2022:

Trevor Etienne: “Just the help I have from the other backs and coach [Jabbar] Juluke. Really everyone around, like, them staying on me, helping me learn the playbook. Just keeping me focused.”

On how Jennings, Louisiana, shaped him and Travis:

Etienne: “I feel like coming from Jennings, everyone from Jennings is hungry, man. It’s just a small town. I searched up the population like last week, it’s like 9,000 people. So that’s just like, you want to get out of the small town. It drives you, it just keeps you hungry.”

On if he remembers training stories from back home:

Etienne: “Yeah, we had a trainer. He used to work out with my brother, so I was like, ‘I’m gonna work out with them today.’ And, it was like my first and last time working out with them. That was just a taste of that, and I didn’t want none of that.”

On how much Travis helped during his freshman year:

Etienne: “He would have clips waiting on me after the game. It’s like, ‘Good run, but you did this wrong.’ Just critiquing every little thing I do, and that’s just him helping me.”

On whether that was his first time or if he’s used to it:

Etienne: “Oh yeah, I’m used to that. Funny story [from] high school, one game. I was coming back from an injury, and I had broken my fibula. And like, they say I was running soft, but I thought I was running pretty hard. He comes on the sideline and he’s like, ‘Bro, you gonna start playing or what?’ I’m like, ‘What you mean?’

On what’s it like having him close by in Jacksonville:

Etienne: “I mean, it’s crazy because we don’t really get to see each other that much during the season because he’s busy, I’m busy. Like, we kind of have the weekends off, but not really. So like, we see each other when we can. We talk on the phone every day, though.”

On how much Travis rubbed off on him as a kid:

Etienne: “I mean, it’s just like, looking up to him I wanted to do everything he’s done. Just follow in his footsteps. Like, wherever he went I wanted to go. So just watching him, I thank him for doing the right thing because I feel that’s like why I’m here today, from just following in his footsteps.”

On what it meant to have a big role as a freshman:

Etienne: “I mean, that really means a lot to me. Coming in as a freshman I didn’t really think I was gonna play that much. When my name was called I was nervous. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m about to get into some SEC football.’ I can say that, just, coming from coach Napier that means a lot because [of] the type of man that he is. And that just shows that my hard work is not going unnoticed and that I’m able to help the team in a positive way.”

On if there was a game/moment last year when he found his groove:

Etienne: “I’d say for me it was against Vandy. Because, I didn’t have the best running game but it was probably the best pass-blocking game I had. And I was like, ‘If I can just keep doing this, the running will come with it.’ And that’s kind of like when I got comfortable with the game.”

On what he attributes his impressive field vision as a freshman to:

Etienne: “Honestly, really, my first year I was just running. I was just running. I was out there scared, running for my life.”