Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Fuel Excitement Around Jacksonville Jaguars

A pair of former Clemson Tigers were interviewed by NBC on Thursday's Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne were drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of 2021 in hopes that they'd carry over their college success to the NFL and build a foundation of winning for the pro franchise. 

That didn't happen last season as Etienne sat out with a Lisfranc injury and Lawrence struggled with a team and coaching staff that wasn't built to win. 

Combined with those two former Clemson Tigers finally reuniting in the backfield along with a more competitive roster and a greatly improved coaching staff, there's new hope and excitement around the Jaguars entering 2022.

Lawrence and Etienne, who helped the Tigers win a national title in 2018 and left as two of the most decorated players in program history, conveyed those thoughts and more when they were interviewed Thursday night on the sideline at the preseason Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, between Jacksonville and the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Here's what they had to say during the live NBC telecast.

Lawrence on having Etienne back: 

"Obvioulsy missed playing beside this guy. We had a couple of great years at Clemson. Really excited for him to be back, adds an explosive element to our offense. More consistency from myself and as an offense and team in general. I think we're going to be a lot more consistent and put up a lot more points on the board." 

Lawrence on the excitement around the team:

"I'm just looking forward to making plays all over the field. We've got a bunch of guys...who are playmakers, a lot of speed, but also are really smart, guys who are really in tune with our offense, adjustments, all these different things. It's just been fun to work with everybody, You have those conversations through camp and you get all on the same page. It's been great. I'm excited for that. I'm excited for the journey, start fresh this season and really see what we can build here." 

Etienne on coming back from his injury:

"I'm feeling good. The recovery was long and hard. I feel like I had to fall in love with the mundane and become one with myself. I did that over the process and I'm ready to get back out here." 

Etienne on Lawrence saying his teammate is in better shape now than he was at Clemson:

"I feel the same. I feel like I've been working as hard as I could to get back here and show the world what I'm about and who I am as a player. I feel like I'm going to put that on display soon." 

The Jacksonville Jaguars are listed as a 4-point underdog for Week 1 of the regular season at Washington, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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