Trevor Etienne spurns Clemson to commit to SEC school

Trevor Etienne will not be following the path of his brother Travis by committing to Clemson. Instead, the younger Etienne has opted to try his hand in the SEC.

Etienne, a consensus four-star running back recruit, announced prior to Saturday’s All-American Bowl that he would commit to Florida over LSU and Clemson. The Louisiana-based running back said the choice came down to Florida and Clemson, but he fell in love with Gainesville on his official visit there. He added that he wanted to do “something new” instead of following in his brother’s footsteps.

“It’s something new,” Etienne said, via Jeremy Johnson of On3 Sports. “I wanted to see myself doing something new and doing something I haven’t experienced. My brother went to Clemson. I’ve been to LSU a couple of times. I’ve never really been to Florida. That’s something I want to experience.”

Etienne said he had “nothing but love” for Clemson, having spent a good deal of time around campus watching his older brother play.

Notably, Etienne could factor early at Florida, with top running backs Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis poised to graduate. The path to snaps early may have helped Florida beat out Clemson for the running back.

It will no doubt sting for Clemson to see the brother of one of the program’s most iconic players turn them down to go elsewhere. It may bother LSU just as much given how the school’s former coach felt after losing out on the older Etienne, too.