INDIANAPOLIS – Don’t leave a legacy; live a legacy.
That’s the ultimate goal of former Georgia running back Trevor Etienne, who left no doubt where he feels he fits in among the bevy of talented players at his position taking part in the NFL Combine.
“Honestly, personally, I feel like I'm the best back in this class. But this back class is loaded,” Etienne said. “This class is loaded with backs, and a lot of them had great seasons. I’m just going to go out there, compete, and show the world what I can do.”
If he can come close to emulating the success of big brother Travis Etienne, a running back with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the younger Etienne said he would feel just fine.
“My brother is where I'm trying to be,” Etienne said. “I have a living, breathing example of what to do, and that's one of my biggest blessings.” It’s not the only one.
Smith said the one year he spent at Georgia will be a season he will not forget.
Although injuries limited his season and yardage (122 carries for 609 yards), the Florida transfer said he’ll treasure his season in Athens, especially after scoring the winning touchdown against Texas in overtime to give the Bulldogs last year’s SEC Championship.
“It's something I'll remember forever. That's a story I'll tell my grandkids.” He hopes there are more tales to tell soon, starting with his on-field showing at the NFL Combine when the running backs hit the field on Saturday.
“The biggest feedback I've got is, man, is just keep true to myself. But something I want to work on as a back is just being more consistent. I feel like that's one of the biggest parts about this process,” Etienne said. “It's showing people who I am, rather than what type of football player I am. I feel like that's been huge because I feel like I have a really great and outgoing personality. I feel like that will help me along the way.”
Friday’s session wasn’t complete without a look back at his one season with the Bulldogs, including some of the team’s offensive struggles.
The Bulldogs finished the year next-to-last in the SEC in rushing with an average of just 124.4 yards per game.
So, what happened?
“I feel like at Georgia, something we struggled with this season was the execution,” Etienne said. “If you go back and look at a lot of those games, we were trailing at times. So, it's kind of hard to run the ball when you kind of need a touchdown desperately. So that's probably part of the reason, if I had to say any specific reason.”
However, Etienne does feel like Georgia’s run game will be in good hands this fall with Nate Frazier.
“Man, I can't wait. Nate is one of those guys, as we say,” Etienne said. “He's him, and I can't wait to see what he does.”