Travis Etienne to Return for Senior Season

The Clemson Tiger junior running back and two time ACC Player of the Year has chosen to return for his senior season.

Head coach Dabo Swinney has landed another 5-star commitment for the 2020 season as starting running back, Travis Etienne, announced today that he has chosen to return to Clemson for his senior season.

Etienne is known for his ability to break tackles and create explosive momentum-shifting runs in some of the biggest games. In the 2019 National Championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Etienne finished with 6.1 yards per carry and three total touchdowns.

In a rather shocking decision, Clemson’s star running back has decided to return for his senior season. The decision reminds many long-time fans of C.J. Spiller’s decision to return for his senior season back in 2009.

The 2020 NFL draft class is loaded with big names at the running back position with the likes of Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard, and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins also entering. Another stellar year with Clemson could help propel Etienne to the first round in the 2021 NFL Draft. If that were to happen, this surprising decision could end up being worth millions more in guaranteed money.

The average career for a running back is estimated to be around 2.57 years. With a short amount of time to take advantage of, Etienne has chosen to take another year to improve his value and also help the Tigers make another run at the national championship.