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Travis Etienne Jr. will be a Clemson or LSU Tiger today.

By Tyreese Ingram

Dec 31, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Wayne Gallman (9) runs against Oklahoma Sooners safety Steven Parker (10) during the fourth quarter of the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Wayne Gallman (9) runs against Oklahoma Sooners safety Steven Parker (10) during the fourth quarter of the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Can Clemson football get one of best uncommitted running backs in the 2017 recruiting class?

Louisiana running back

Travis Etienne Jr.

will pick between Clemson, LSU, and Tennessee at 5pm today. The Jennings High star rushed for 2459 yards and had 34 total touchdowns. At 5’11 210 pounds, he is able to run between the tackles and run away from people on the perimeter with his 10.5(100 meter) track speed. Etienne is also a good student as evidenced by his scholarship offer from Harvard.

It appears that it will come down to Clemson and LSU, because Tennessee already has three committed backs. Both Tigers could use Etienne to shore up depth issues in their backfields. LSU missed out on recent FSU commit Cam Akers and Clemson has to replace

Tyshon Dye

who decided to transfer.

LSU could have the upper hand in this Tigers’ battle for three main reasons.

  1. Dream school. LSU is the school that Etienne liked as a young kid, and he said that he would be a student there one day.
  2. Ed Orgeron. Apparently, Les Miles wasn’t high on Etienne and did little to contact him, so Etienne never got an offer. Even when LSU contacted him, it was to play safety and not running back. That all changed with Orgeron at the helm. He did get his offer and now it is at his desired position-running back.
  3. Proximity. LSU(96 miles) is obviously closer to Etienne’s home than Clemson(740) and distance could be a factor in his decision.  Although he was once committed to Texas A&M(270), he had previously said that he would like to stay close to home.

Does Clemson have a chance?

I would say, yes.

The Tigers just recently started recruiting Etienne and got him to visit on Jan 20th. Will that be enough to pull him away from home? Clemson does have Dabo Swinney, a national championship, and a burgeoning football program, so they can never be counted out.

Either way, Travis Etienne Jr. is expected to celebrate his birthday as a Tiger.

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