True freshman running back, Travis Etienne Jr. has yet to play a down for the Tigers and he is already in rare company. Etienne Jr. is the first prospect from Louisiana to sign with the Clemson football program since Nick Watkins in 2003.
Clemson’s recruiting footprint extends far into the Southern region of the country. The Tigers recruit Georgia and Florida especially hard, but, for whatever reason they have struggled to infiltrate the state of Louisiana.
One of the biggest reason’s Clemson has been unable to build a strong recruiting pipeline in the Bayou is because of former LSU head coaches, Nick Saban and Les Miles. Under both Saban and Miles, LSU pratically built a wall around the state of Louisiana.
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At the end of the day, the reason the Tigers were able to reach into Louisiana and lure Etienne Jr. to Death Valley so late in the recruiting cycle, was because of their success on the field. When Dabo Swinney took over at Clemson in 2008, they were not the national powerhouse that they are today.
After 6 consecutive 10+ win seasons and two straight National Championship appearances, Clemson has developed a national brand on the recruiting trail. Travis Etienne Jr. is a prime example of the reach that Dabo Swinney and his staff currently have.
Standing 5-foot-11, 210 pounds Etienne is a lanky running back in the mold of a Wayne Gallman. That being said, I believe he has much better top end speed than Gallman. During his career at Jennings High School, Etienne Jr. ran for 7,518 yards and 42 touchdowns.
When you turn on the film the first thing that standouts out about Etienne Jr. is the spring in his step. He is an explosive runner with violent cuts in the open field. Clemson’s zone heavy scheme will highlight Etienne Jr.’s vision and burst down the road.
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The chances of him playing as a true freshman are slim due to the Tigers’ current depth at running back. That said, he may end up having the best career out of all the running backs on Clemson’s roster when it’s all said and done.