In his first season, Travis Etienne has made a significant impact for No. 1 Clemson as it seeks its third straight national championship game appearance. The true freshman enters the Sugar Bowl against No. 4 Alabama with 744 yards and 13 touchdowns on 103 carries.
Here are 5 things to know about the Tigers running back.
1. Travis Etienne was a 4-star recruit in high school
Etienne was ranked as the No. 15 running back in the class of 2017 according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, as well as the No. 9 player in the state of Louisiana.
He was the last player of the 2017 class to commit to Clemson, pledging on January 26, 2017 and signing with the program just under a week later.
2. Travis Etienne was offered by 29 schools before choosing Clemson
Several major programs showed interest in Etienne during his recruiting process.
LSU, looking to keep Etienne in state lines, was one offer, along with Alabama, Clemson, Houston, Miami, Oklahoma State, TCU, UCF, and Virginia Tech, among others.
Clemson and LSU ended up as the finalists, with the Tigers – the ones in South Carolina – gaining his services in the end.
3. Travis Etienne chose Clemson in part because his mother wanted him to play out of state
Choosing a college is a tough decision for any high school athlete. For Etienne, it was his mother that played a big part in the recruiting process.
"She wanted to know that I'll be able to take care of myself after she's gone or if something happens," he told The State's Matt Connolly in September. "When I chose to go away from home I think she was really excited to see what she taught me transfer over."
4. Travis Etienne has the most rushing touchdowns by a freshman in Clemson history
It may have come against an FCS opponent, but Etienne was able to put himself into the history books against The Citadel on November 18.
Etienne recorded a pair of touchdowns in the Tigers’ blowout win over the Bulldogs. It gave him 11 rushing touchdowns on the season, besting C.J. Spiller’s mark of 10 set in 2006.
Etienne has since added 2 more, giving him 13 on the year.
5. Travis Etienne is being considered an early candidate for the 2018 Heisman Trophy
Clemson came close to having its first Heisman winner with Deshaun Watson in 2016, but at least one national publication feels that Etienne could be a player to keep an eye on for next year’s award.
In an article from December 11, SI.com's Andy Staples released a list of 15 early contenders for the 2018 Heisman Trophy, and Etienne found himself on it.
“After averaging 7.2 yards a carry splitting time with Tavien Feaster, Etienne should be even better following his first full offseason with the Tigers,” Staples said.
The post Who is Travis Etienne? 5 things to know about the Clemson running back appeared first on Diehards.
