Gators Raving About Rookie RB Trevor Etienne: ‘This Is Going To Be Special’
In this story:
Photo: Trevor Etienne; Credit: Alex Shepherd
The expectation entering Billy Napier's first campaign as Florida's head coach was that young and inexperienced players would earn plenty of playing time, in some cases learning their responsibilities on the fly due to the state of the UF roster Napier inherited.
Through two weeks, that theory has proven true, including a handful of true freshmen that have cracked the rotation and earned significant snaps against Utah and Kentucky.
One rookie contributor stands above the rest when it comes to production, however, and it's one that outsiders may not have foreseen standing out in 2022.
Although he walked into a position room consisting of three experienced running backs (albeit to varying degrees) as a summer enrollee, Trevor Etienne has quickly taken over an important role in UF's rushing committee and offense as a whole.
"When [Etienne] first got here for workouts over the summer, just watching him run and really seeing how he cuts and stuff like that," wide receiver Justin Shorter recalled on Monday, "I was like, 'Okay, this is going to be special.' "
The early returns suggest that Etienne could, indeed, be a special talent.
31 SEC running backs have posted at least ten rushing attempts through the first two weeks of the 2022 season (keep in mind that Vanderbilt has played three games). Etienne's 14 carries rank tied for 23rd among that group, as well as third within Florida's running back room and fourth in UF's backfield due to Anthony Richardson's 17 attempts.
Yet, according to Pro Football Focus, Etienne has been one of the conference's most productive and explosive backs despite his limited sample size.
Etienne's 110 rushing yards are good for 13th most in the SEC among the qualifying backs; he ranks third in breakaway percentage (65.5 percent), third in elusiveness rating (269.2), fourth in yards per attempt (7.9), fourth in yards after contact (4.79), eighth in missed tackles forced (nine) and eighth in rushes of 10+ yards (five).
Breakaway percentage is determined by dividing total yards gained on carries of 15+ yards by the back's total yardage output on the season — 72 of Etienne's 110 rushing yards coming from four attempts that ended in gains of 15+. Elusiveness rating measures the success and impact of a runner with the ball independent of the team's blocking and is a signature PFF stat.
Keep in mind that Florida is the only SEC team to have faced two AP Top 25 teams to begin this season. Etienne isn't putting up his big numbers against inferior competition.
"He's a home run threat," fellow running back Montrell Johnson proclaimed about Etienne on Sept. 5.
"I'm looking on film and I'm like, 'This man's good right here,' " left tackle Richard Gouraige added regarding Etienne on Monday. "I'm seeing it face to face, going crazy in the game. It's great to see young players buying into the system and then taking coaching. He's been doing great."
Etienne's looming breakout, however, was first noticed during Florida's fall camp. Etienne routinely impressed during running back individual drills during media viewing periods, seen breaking off on a few huge runs during team drills as media entered and exited the facility throughout August.
Even when reporters couldn't watch, there was a buzz of Etienne consistently making a strong impression in practice. Several teammates confirmed those rumors on numerous occasions.
“I love Trevor. In the scrimmages and practices when he breaks off a run, I tell people. ‘That kid’s gonna be great,’ " quarterback Anthony Richardson said on Aug. 31. "I’m happy we’ve got him on our team.”
Although redshirt junior Nay'Quan Wright, Johnson, redshirt freshman and transfer from Napier's previous school, and two-year Gator redshirt junior Lorenzo Lingard were viewed on the outside as the leaders of Florida's running back committee prior to the season, Etienne's role has quickly been elevated.
While Etienne ranks fourth on the team in rushing attempts, he's only five carries removed from Johnson, the leader of the group with 19. Lingard, who earned first-team reps during the spring before Etienne's arrival and while Wright recovered from a 2021 injury, has yet to earn a carry.
Napier indicated that Etienne's maturity, in addition to his skill-set, allowed him to quickly take the field in a Gators uniform.
“I think Trevor’s a good young player," Napier said after UF's loss to Kentucky on Sept. 10. "I think Trevor’s got great vision, great instincts. I think he’s elusive, he can make people miss, he’s low to the ground. He catches the ball well.
"He’s out there playing as a rookie, but he’s got the intelligence and maturity to do that. He’s in the rotation. Did some good things tonight. I also think there’s some areas he can improve. Excited about Trevor and his future. for sure.”
Of course, as Napier suggested, Etienne is far from a finished product just two games into his college career and will have much to prove moving forward.
But his early production speaks for itself, and considering Napier's known utilization of freshmen running backs — look no further than Johnson's team-leading 162 carries at Louisiana in 2021 — Etienne is going to keep earning the opportunities to do so.
Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
