CLEMSON, S.C. — Travis Etienne is ready to roll.
After missing all of his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars because of a significant foot injury he suffered in a Jags’ preseason game last August, the former Clemson star says he is ready to help his team continue to grow.
Etienne told Jaguars.com, the team’s official website, that he is at 85-90 percent in his recovery.
“I feel really great now,” he said. “My foot feels great. I’m almost there. I’m not there yet, but I feel like once camp comes around, we’ll be rolling.”
The foot injury was the first significant injury in Etienne’s career. Though he got banged up at times, Etienne never missed an opportunity to play during his time at Clemson, as he became the ACC’s career leader in scoring, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and rushing yards.
During his time at Clemson, he became the first Clemson player since Steve Fuller in 1977 and 1978 to win ACC Player of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. The Jaguars saw the upside in the three-time All-American and drafted him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The pick allowed Etienne to reunite with Trevor Lawrence, his quarterback and backfield teammate for three seasons at Clemson. Of course, Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick by Jacksonville in the same draft.
Without Etienne, Lawrence struggled in his first season in the NFL, as he led the league with 17 interceptions and completed just 59.6 percent of his passes. However, the former Heisman Trophy finalist flashed in moments, giving Jags’ fans a glimpse of things to come in the future.
“I feel like Trevor’s going to be Trevor Lawrence,” Etienne said. “I feel like he’s going to show you why he was the No. 1 draft pick. Just him having that first year under his belt, he learned a lot from that. I feel like Trevor’s going to respond the way Trevor knows how.”
With Lawrence a year older and wiser, Doug Pederson as the new head coach and with Etienne back in the fold, the Jaguars have an opportunity to be much better in 2022.
