Clemson Football: Could Travis Etienne return for senior season?

There have been rumors across Clemson football circles that RB Travis Etienne could potentially return for one more season with the Tigers.

Clemson football RB Travis Etienne is just seven yards away from breaking the Tigers’ all-time rushing record in just three seasons.

Despite potentially being the top running back in the history of the Clemson football program and a projected first-round pick, there are rumors that Etienne could return for his senior season.

Etienne told the media before the Ohio State game that he hadn’t made a decision and that there was a “good chance” that he could return for his senior season. Etienne said he would sit down with his family following the year, look at his draft grade and weigh his options.

Because of those comments- and Christian Wilkins’ decision to return a couple of years ago- many Tiger fans are hoping that Etienne will do the unthinkable and return for one more season.

We’ve received several questions asking about Etienne and the potential that he could return, but at this point there’s no reason to believe there’s any truth to that.

Etienne is going to sit down and weigh the options with his family. He’s going to look at his draft grade and will likely sit down with Tony Elliott and Dabo Swinney, as well. In the end, though, I’d be absolutely shocked if he came back.

Etienne will already have broken Clemson’s all-time rushing record and will leave the Tigers as the all-time leader in yards per carry. He also has participated in three-straight CFB Playoffs and will leave Clemson with at least one National Championship, potentially two.

Running backs don’t have a long shelf-life in the NFL and there’s certainly reason to believe that Etienne could be drafted as high as the first-round, most likely with a floor of the second-round. This is a deep running back class with J.K. Dobbins and Jonathan Taylor, but that still wouldn’t affect Etienne all that much.

Stranger things have happened- Christian Wilkins, for example- but it would be a big surprise for Etienne to return next season. Clemson has recruited heavily at running back in preparation for Etienne to leave after his junior year and that’s the likely plan moving forward.

Either way, we wish Etienne nothing but the best. He’s going to leave Clemson football as one of the best running backs- if not the best- in program history and has the talent to become a major factor in the NFL, as well.