On Jan. 26, 2017, Travis Etienne announced his commitment to Dabo Swinney’s program, choosing the ACC’s Clemson Tigers over the SEC’s LSU Tigers and calling Clemson the “real Death Valley.”
Of course, as it turned out, that was a fateful day for Clemson’s football program as Etienne went on to have a record-breaking career as a running back in college across the 2017-20 seasons.
Before being selected in the first round (25th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Etienne left Clemson as the NCAA FBS record holder for most career games scoring a touchdown (46 of his 55 career games), as well as the ACC career record-holder for rushing yards (4,952), total touchdowns (78), rushing touchdowns (70) and points (468).
Coming to Clemson was obviously a great decision for Etienne, who won four ACC Championships, appeared in the College Football Playoff four times, played in two national championship games and won a national title, all while being a member of the first FBS senior class since 2010 to go undefeated at home (27-0 at Death Valley).
During a recent appearance on The Players Club Podcast with former Clemson running back Darien Rencher, Etienne – a former four-star prospect from Jennings, La., which is located about an hour and a half away from LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge – reflected on why he spurned the Bayou Bengals and chose to play for the Clemson Tigers instead, when so many other recruits from the boot facing a similar decision probably would have picked LSU.
“It was just stepping out on faith,” Etienne said. “I felt like just being recruited by LSU and just being so close there, being like an hour and 30 from there, I felt like if I would have went there, I wouldn’t have been around great crowds. I would’ve been hanging out with my friends, just doing the same things we’ve done in high school. So, I felt like I wanted to challenge myself to be better.”
Etienne’s first meeting with Swinney and former Clemson offensive coordinator/running backs coach Tony Elliott – which came during an in-home visit at Etienne’s grandmother’s house – also played a pivotal role in Etienne’s commitment decision as he came away from that visit highly impressed by the type of people and leaders that Swinney and Elliott were and are.
“When I talked to Coach Elliott and Coach Swinney for the first time – they came to my grandma’s house – and just to see God-fearing men, just to see how they lead and how they led the program and just their approach to everything, I felt like it was a match made in heaven, honestly,” Etienne said. “Coach Swinney and Coach Elliott coming to the house was icing on the cake and it was just me having that faith to step out. And it was my mom really pushing me out of the nest to make that decision.”
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