By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Travis Etienne, still just a junior, is one of the foundational pieces of the Clemson dynasty and, individually, one of the game’s most efficient players ever.

Travis Etienne is one of the greatest running backs in college football history.

Already, the dynamic Etienne has a resume for the all-time record books. There simply aren’t many players who have had the overall impact that Etienne has; correspondingly, there simply isn’t near enough widespread appreciation for his downright remarkable efforts, an unfathomable and unsustainable reality. Somehow a relatively-undervalued player and story nationally, Etienne, still just a junior, is one of the foundational pieces of the Clemson dynasty and, individually, one of the game’s most efficient players ever.

Some perspective on just how incredible Etienne has been; he has the most rushing touchdowns in ACC history, 54, still in the midst of his junior season.

Entering yet another College Football Playoff, Etienne has 493 carries for 3,924 yards, averaging nearly eight yards per carry. He also has 46 receptions for 433 yards and four more scores. Clemson has gone 40-2 throughout Etienee’s career, with him currently among those leading the Tigers to an unprecedented 28 straight wins, winning three ACC crowns and a national title. Etienne’s consistent production, even through changes at quarterback and turnover both defensively and out wide, has underlined Clemson’s championship run.

Twice, this millennium, has a Power Five player rushed for at least 1,500 yards at eight yards per carry with at least 17 rushing touchdowns: Etienne in 2018 and Etienne in 2019.

For a progression that has been paint-by-number, the colors have been orange and, given the rings, diamond and gold. Etienne burst onto the scene as a true freshman, averaging a rushing touchdown roughly one out of every eight attempts. His 13 scores were second amongst ACC running backs. In year two, Etienne had one of the most productive seasons in recent college football memory; 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns at 8.13 yards per carry. After becoming the only player in a generation with those minimums, his yard-per-carry average is now up over one-tenth higher than that this fall.

Notably the final signee of Clemson’s 2017 recruiting class, Etienne made a major impact right away. He rushed eight times for 81 yards and a touchdown in the first game of the year, then topped the 100-yard mark later in the month with a standout performance in a win over Boston College. Through the first three games of Etienne’s college career, he had 23 carries for 292 yards and four scores. The rest is now history.

What Etienne did as a sophomore has few parallels. He, Jay Ajayi, Montee Ball and Melvin Gordon are the only running backs the last 20 years with at least 1,650 rushing yards, 24 rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores; Etienne’s 8.1-yard average is over a half-yard higher than the next highest qualified runner. His aforementioned two dozen rushing touchdown total stands as the second-highest ACC mark ever.

Perhaps the signature performance of Etienne’s career to date came in his sophomore season. With Clemson trailing Syracuse 23-13 early in the fourth quarter in a contest where starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence was injured early on, and veteran Kelly Bryant had decided to redshirt and transfer the week prior, the Tigers turned to Etienne to carry the load. He responded with 27 rushes for 203 yards and three touchdowns, the game-winner with just 41 seconds remaining included. That victory was the springboard to a championship.

The start to this year came with similar boost. Etienne ran for 205 yards and three scores on just 12 carries in Clemson’s season-opening win over Georgia Tech. Now going back to the start of October, with 127 yards in a rout of Florida State, Etienne has currently reached the 100-yard mark in seven of his last eight games overall. Furthermore, he has scored at least one touchdown in ten consecutive games.

Etienne’s work rate truly is remarkable. Twice, in ACC history, has a feature running back averaged over 8.1 yards per carry: Etienne in 2018 and Etienne in 2019.

Since taking over as the starter at Clemson two years ago, he has 16 100-yard games and 13 multi-score games. Etienne, still with one, or two, more outings to come, has rushed for 3,158 yards and 41 touchdowns after moving atop the depth chart full-time. Etienne, in a pair of seasons leading the Tigers, has been named ACC Offensive Player of the Year both times. Surprisingly, he has not received much Heisman Trophy attention.

Clemson, since Etienne has stepped into the starting lineup, has not lost a single game.

On a talented and experienced roster, Etienne is a catalyst and a leader alike. He, in an era of micro-evaluation where “best” and “greatest” are sometimes two different distinctions, is the type of talent who is both. Etienne’s combination of efficiency and production is the modern-day standard; his determined efforts on the big stage, see four rushing touchdowns in three ACC Championship Games and four total scores in last season’s College Football Playoff, has come with hardware. Etienne does everything at an elite level.

There whenever Clemson needs him, Etienne has always had a feel for the moment. In his first opportunity as a first-team runner with a title directly on the line, Etienne, eager to go, promptly burst into the open field for a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage against Pittsburgh in the 2018 ACC Championship Game. That famed run was just part of a career that has proven to be an all-out sprint; Etienne, fresh off another title, all with another potential championship on the horizon, has just now hit his stride.

Etienne, relatively unassuming and reserved in his own way, will very likely soon become only the ninth ACC player ever to reach the 4,000-yard rushing mark. No running back has done it more efficiently. A move into the top five just might be completed before the end of Etienne’s next game, an upcoming Fiesta Bowl showdown with Ohio State. Given current trends, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t take him but a few carries to get there.

This Tiger is approaching GOAT status.

With 3,924 yards, 54 touchdowns and 7.96 yards per carry, three conference championships, a national title and a third-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff, Etienne’s resume is one is deserving of an all-time frame of reference. His legacy, without question, is a lasting one. Etienne is one of the most dynamic players the game has ever seen.

The success rate of both Etienne and his team are equally intertwined and impressive. So, too, is his place in history.