Etienne Eager to Gain More Ground in Year 2, Plus Q&A

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The fresh faces around the Heavener Football Training Center saw him play last season, so it’s not unusual for one of Trevor Etienne’s new teammates to quiz him about something related to the team’s offseason conditioning program.

In their eyes, Etienne is one of the revamped Gators’ established players. That is when the 18-year-old running back, two months removed from his freshman season, reminds them that he was home in Jennings, La., finishing high school and playing baseball a year ago.

This is all new to him, too.

“I played right field,” Etienne said. “I enjoyed it a lot. Baseball clears your mind.”

Based on his first season at UF, Etienne arrived on campus clear-headed and eager to make an impression. He succeeded, turning in a freshman campaign that included 719 yards rushing, 6.1 yards per carry, and six touchdowns, including an 85-yard scamper against South Carolina that stands as the second-longest rushing score for a freshman in school history.

As Etienne prepares for his first spring camp with the Gators, he is unruffled and unsatisfied.

“I feel like I had a great freshman season, but I feel like it was only good for a freshman,” he said. “I feel like coming into the new season, I have to do a lot better.”

If Gators coach Billy Napier reads those words, he will likely grin.

Etienne’s drive and determination are deeply embedded in his nature, growing up the younger brother of former Clemson star running back Travis Etienne. Travis finished his college career as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leading rusher (4,952 yards) and FBS record-holder for most career games scoring a touchdown (46).

Travis recently completed his second season with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, continuing to set a pace for his younger brother to maintain and perhaps surpass. Trevor keeps close tabs on Travis, who has a five-plus-years advantage in age.

They are close and competitive.

“Week to week, we’re going against each other,” Trevor said. “We see who is going to have the best game. I’ll be playing, and there will already be a couple of clips he has sent me in the messages, critiquing the game, just trying to help me out. And vice versa. I’m doing the same for him.

“A big problem he had this season was ball security. I’m like, ‘man, you gotta hold onto that ball.’ I’m on him before every game,…