ATHENS — There will be a lot of new faces in Athens this fall.
Counting 2024 recruits and transfers, the Georgia Bulldogs added 36 new scholarship players for the upcoming 2024 season.
There’s plenty of new talent in the program, ready to replace the eight NFL draft picks and other various departures.
And one newcomer stands out in the mind of ESPN. Billy Tucker tabbed running back Trevor Etienne as the team’s top newcomer for the 2024 season.
“Adding Etienne is similar to when D’Andre Swift was in Georgia’s backfield,” Tucker wrote. “He has a combination of sneaky power and contact balance, yet is nimble and agile enough to make people miss, turn the corner and be a home run threat.”
Georgia saw its top two rushers depart the program, with Kendall Milton signing with the Philadelphia Eagles and Daijun Edwards landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The duo combined to rush for 1670 yards and 27 touchdowns last season.
Etienne was at Florida for the last two seasons, topping 700 rushing yards in both seasons with the Gators. At Georgia, he expects to be the team’s lead running back.
Etienne earned rave reviews with how quickly he picked up Georgia’s system this spring.
“He’s a good back. He’s quick in and out of the hole,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s different than what we’ve had. I think the Swift analogy is good. (James) Cook’s analogy is good. He’s really taken a lot of personal pride in working on his protection. He had a nice pick up today. He’s learning the offense. Look, the guy’s been a good SEC player for two years. It’s not like he’s a freshman. He’s a really good player and a really good kid. I’ve been proud of the way he’s his deal.”
Etienne rushed for 24 yards on 4 carries in the spring game while also hauling in 3 receptions for 33 yards. He will bring some much-needed pass-catching juice to the backfield at Georgia.
Etienne is likely to split carries with Roderick Robinson, who is a much more physical and bruising runner. The pairing may not be dissimilar to what Georgia had in the 2018 season when Swift and Elijah Holyfield both ran for over 1,000 yards.
Georgia brought in a total of eight transfers this offseason, by far the most of the transfer portal era. While Etienne is the biggest name, he will be far from the only one asked to contribute for Georgia.
The Bulldogs will look for immediate production from wide receiver Colbie Young and tight end Benjamin Yurosek. Others such as defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod and quarterback Jaden Rashada are seen as long-term development pieces.
Georgia could get its first real look at Etienne in the season-opener against Clemson. Etienne was arrested this offseason on four driving-related charges, one of which was a DUI, and faces possible discipline stemming from the arrest.
2024-05-01 13:49:16
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