Trevor Etienne had made an early impression on his new teammates and coaches at Georgia.

The former Florida running back joined the Bulldogs earlier this season and has stepped up as a leader during winter workouts. He's impressed head coach Kirby Smart.

The two-time winning national championship head coach had positive words to say about Etienne.

“Everything we’ve heard about (Trevor) Etienne before he got here has held true," Smart said during the first day of spring practice. "He’s a tremendous leader, he’s a high-character kid, so he immediately surges into a leadership role. He’s not a first-year player. He’s been in our league and our conference, and he has standards and expectations.”

Etienne is a veteran running back who brings two seasons' worth of SEC experience to Georgia. The former Gators' tailback has played and performed well at the highest level.

Veteran leadership is something that this Bulldog squad needs heading into spring practice.

This is something that especially holds true in Georgia's running back, which doesn't have a leader following the departures of Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards to the NFL.

Besides stepping up as a leader, Etienne has started to form a bond with his teammates, specifically Smael Mondon. Etienne and Mondon know each other quite well.

Last season, the Gators tried to run a trick play on fourth-and-short. Etienne took a direct snap and rolled out to his left. Etienne was looking to throw a short pass attempt to an open wide receiver, but Mondon sniffed it out and brought his future teammate to the ground.

Etienne and the Georgia inside linebacker shared a laugh about it when he got to Athens.

"That was really the first thing I said to him when I saw him. Like, why did y'all try to do that?" Mondon said with a smile.

Mondon noted that Etienne matches the Georgia culture.

"The guys in the locker room, he fits right in with us," Mondon added. "It was like he basically was here with us. I feel like he fits right in with the team and team culture. He's going to help us do a lot this year."

Etienne played two seasons at Florida, appearing in 24 games with one start. He rushed 249 times for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns. Etienne also hauled in 30 receptions for 238 yards and one touchdown, while also returning 28 kicks for 671 yards. Etienne also led Florida in rushing touchdowns (8), yards per carry (5.7) and yards per game (68.4) in 2023.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck acknowledged he feels "comfortable" with Etienne in the backfield.

"It always helps to have a good running back, where you feel comfortable turning your back to the defense, handing it off. We saw what he was able to do at Florida, and we're happy to have him," Beck said." He's working really hard, and I'm excited to see what he's going to do."