Clemson Football: 5 Reasons Travis Etienne made the right decision

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 28: Running back Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers is tackled by linebacker Tuf Borland #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 29-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs for a touchdown as against the Wofford Terriers during their game at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

3. Workload isn’t an issue

For all the people shouting out about how “running backs have a short shelf life” and how “Etienne needs to go make money now because he won’t have very long in the NFL,” you’ve got to realize that he’s not a normal running back.

Etienne will enter his final season with 518 career carries. Interestingly enough, Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins has had 725 carries in the same amount of time. Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor has 926.

Etienne is averaging right around 173 carries per year over the course of his career and I’d expect him to get right around the same this season. That would put him right around 690 carries for his career, which is still far less than the two guys mentioned above who are expected to be potential first-round picks in this coming year’s NFL Draft.

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