The Jacksonville Jaguars’ coaching staff sees an even bigger season ahead for Travis Etienne.

The former Clemson running back rushed for more than 1,000 yards in what was essentially his rookie season last year, coming off the 2021 campaign that he lost due to a season-ending Lisfranc injury suffered during that preseason.

After an impressive 2022, Etienne has established himself as the Jaguars’ lead back entering 2023, and the coaches are excited about what this season holds for the former first-round draft pick as he looks to build off last year.

“We’ve seen it this offseason; he’s progressed nicely there,” Jags head coach Doug Pederson said, via Jaguars.com. “Once we get the pads on and we start in our run periods, we’ll see how he’ll see the hole better. It just goes back to last year being kind of a rookie season for him. It’s like in the pass game: There’s a lot to learn, a lot to know and understand and, he’s really picked it up well. I’m excited for him for this year and what he can do, and even more to build off last year.”

The 25th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Etienne’s comeback campaign in 2022 saw him rush for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns on 220 carries.

Are even more big plays in store for Etienne this season?

“There’s a lot more – a lot more,” Jags running backs coach Bernie Parmalee said. “We talked about it every day. He knows it, too. It’s one thing when you talk about it as a coach and the player doesn’t realize it. But when the player realizes what you’re talking about is true and he’s going to do everything he has to do to make sure he gets better, it’s going to bode well.”

We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class.  Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class.  Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.

Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.