Etienne Goes from 'Puny' Guy with Braces, to the Best to Ever Play

Clemson running back Travis Etienne has been a special talent since he stepped foot on campus, and it did not take head coach Dabo Swinney long to understand how special he was.

CLEMSON — Clemson running back Travis Etienne has been a special talent since he stepped foot on campus, and it did not take head coach Dabo Swinney long to understand how special he was.

"He was kind of puny when he got here. Just not a very imposing guy," Swinney said. "He had big old braces on his teeth, and we thought that maybe he would redshirt or something. Then we get into camp, the first time we get into full pads, the very first day...he broke a run and it was like, 'Woah!'

"Then for the rest of camp, it didn't matter what group he was with, he could have been with the threes, the twos, the ones...every day he would break a run to the point where you are like, 'This is unbelievable.'"

While Swinney may have had a glimpse of just how explosive Etienne could be, he had no idea that a mere three seasons later. The now-senior has achieved records that Swinney never thought anyone would touch.

Etienne had already cemented his status in Clemson and ACC history, becoming Clemson’s all-time leading rusher and its first 4,000-yard rusher while also securing ACC records for career rushing touchdowns, career total touchdowns and career points by a non-kicker. 

Now, Etienne, who was the first running back to win back-to-back ACC Player of the Year honors since Mike Voight in 1975-76, will attempt to become the first three-time winner in conference history and join Herschel Walker, a three-time SEC Player of the Year from 1980-82, as the only players to win conference player of the year honors three times in a career.

"It is really great, but it is not just because of me. It is because of the team, the guys I have around me, the receivers that I have," Etienne said. "The great receivers are willing to do it all, and Trevor too. I am thankful for all those guys to be out there. I would not be in this position to have all these records and accomplishments. I would like to think that.

"It is special to be amongst those guys. I would like to thank God first, and my teammates because if it was not for them, I would not be here.”

While Etienne would prefer to deflect the attention away from himself and turn the spotlight onto his teammates, for offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tony Elliott, the senior deserves every bit of the attention for what he has accomplished.

“I’m just really proud of him. He’s such a humble guy. I’m not a big fan of people deserving things, but if there’s anyone who deserves this, it’s Travis," Elliott said. "He always deflects the attention, making it about his offensive line and his teammates. He’s got the ability to do it and it’s refreshing to see a young man who puts the work in and is able to achieve what he can.”

However, Elliott quickly changed his remarks to clarify one thing — there was nothing that was deserved by Etienne, everything was earned by the work put in.

“Often we feel like we deserve more than we really work to earn, so my word is earn," Elliott said. "Go out and earn it, because life isn’t fair and you’re not always going to get what you feel like you deserve. At the end of the day you will get what you earn, whatever work you put in, you will get the appropriate reward. It may not be what you want, but at the end of the day you can feel good about it.”

But if you are going to earn the good and the accolades, you are also going to earn the criticism when you screw up — which is exactly what Etienne earned following his worst game of the season at North Carolina. 

Even though he did not like being challenged for his play by Swinney, Etienne has responded and, in return, been the catalyst to an offense that is currently setting records every time they take the field.

"Usually when you have your foot in somebody's rear, that's not comfortable. So yeah, he didn't like that. Most everybody likes a little bit of sugar. But he needed it and he got it. He's had a great year obviously, but he really had a bad game," Swinney said. "It was a long two weeks. Unfortunate for him, we had an open date. Great players like to be challenged and they respond. Average players pout. He responded. Haven't had to do that much with Travis, he's unbelievable. But he needed it.

"I mean that's four weeks in a row that he's played amazing. Sometimes you just have to refocus a little bit too, it's a long season. These are young people and it's a grind. He's been a great leader too and that's been fun to see."

The scary thing, is even with the level of play Etienne returned for his senior season, he still believes he can get better.

“Oh, most definitely. I feel like I can always improve and get better each and every game," Etienne said. "Just working on the little details helps each and every week by watching film to see what I really messed up on."