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Jennings (La.) running back Travis Etienne announced his commitment Thursday evening to Clemson.
Etienne picked the Tigers over LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oregon.
He becomes the 14th commitment in Clemson’s class and fills a huge hole at running back vacated by last month’s decommitment by Cordarrian Richardson.
Etienne began hearing from Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott in late December, but the Tigers amplified their push in the days surrounding their national title victory.
[Stage set for unprecedented weekend in Clemson: Junior Day Preview]
He subsequently scratched plans to use his second official visit this month on Texas A&M – where he had committed for two months last summer – in favor of traveling to check out the champs last weekend. Tennessee got the first visit, while plans for this weekend’s official to LSU have been voided.
TigerIllustrated.com dissects the impact of his commitment in this standard feature:
WHAT THEY GET
Etienne (5-11, 212) measures in taller and heavier than most running backs on the market this cycle, but we wouldn’t qualify him as a big back. An upright runner, he carries his weight well and has room on his frame to easily add another 10 if desired without losing his other beneficial attributes.
Balance and speed at Etienne’s size are what separated him from the other uncommitted candidates. Etienne was timed at 4.43 in the 40 at The Opening’s New Orleans regional last spring, albeit when he checked in at 199 pounds.
He put up eye-popping numbers as both a junior and senior, finishing with 2,280 yards and 35 touchdowns this past season. Etienne posted 2,952 yards and 43 rushing touchdowns as a junior.
HOW HE FITS
Like former Clemson standouts Wayne Gallman and C.J. Spiller, Etienne has been groomed in a wing-T offense, so there figures to be a bit of a transition to reading and hitting some of the staple inside runs in the offense as well as the position’s pass protection responsibilities.
But Etienne has the blend of size and speed the Tigers idealize at the position, and his acceleration combined with that bulk blend well for an offense that wants someone who can both explode outside on counter runs and pitches while also being able to break through arm tackles for extra yards.
Clemson faced the prospect of having just three scholarship backs next season, so there was an apparent need to bolster depth while also restocking a cupboard that threatened to only have one running back (Tavien Feaster) over a three-year span.
More than any other candidate on the market, Etienne arrives physically ready to handle the rigors of playing as a freshman.
But there are also college coaches out there who feel Clemson actually winds up better off long-term as well with Etienne over the decommitment he would replace.
STATEMENTS MADE
Just about any team that goes looking to fill a hole one month before National Signing Day is going to be scrambling if it hasn’t felt the need to be recruiting at that position for months. It’s tough without established relationships.
To nab a prospect of Etienne’s potential under such circumstances is about as close to the best-case scenario as reasonably possible.
And that doesn’t even take into account who Clemson would have had to beat to get him. Elliott deserves substantial credit here.
LSU doesn’t lose many in-state prospects it truly goes after; here and there to Alabama, but it doesn’t happen occur often. In this instance, a Clemson victory would be even more impressive considering the profile carried by departing LSU running back Leonard Fournette. LSU was Etienne’s dream school, even if the manner it recruited him until late December hurt its chances.
But being the national champs has its privileges.
Etienne would also account for the first prospect we would say was partially influenced by his experience at the new football operations facility.
What else is there to say? The power of the paw has never been stronger.
QUOTABLE
“Etienne is a big-bodied back who also has surprising speed and I think he's a great fit in Clemson's offense. There's a reason schools like Texas A&M and Oregon held him in high regard and once LSU changed its offense he became a priority for them as well. But this shows the kind of weight that Clemson now pulls on the national recruiting scene. The Tigers identified him late and swooped in to land his commitment.” – Rivals.com regional analyst Woody Wommack
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