Georgia tailback Trevor Etienne will stay for another season with the Bulldogs.
Etienne met with coach Kirby Smart on Tuesday to inform him of his decision, per a source close to the Etienne family.
Etienne led Georgia with nine rushing touchdowns and 631 yards on 122 carries in 10 games, making him arguably the team’s most valuable offensive player.
It will be the second season at UGA for the Florida transfer, who’s intent on matching his older brother, NFL back and former Clemson star Travis Etienne, who won a national title and graduated with a degree before launching his professional career.
Trevor Etienne’s dominant performances against Texas keyed both of the Bulldogs’ wins over the Longhorns, who now are in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Etienne rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries and had three catches for 23 yards in Georgia’s 30-15 win over then-No. 1 Texas in Austin on Oct. 20.
Etienne scored the game-winning touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over the Longhorns in the SEC Championship game, capping a 16-carry, 94-yard performance with his second rushing score of the day to go with his five catches for 28 yards.
“Trevor Etienne was the MVP because he came and said, ‘Coach, I want to play this game, I want to win a championship,’” Smart said. “He stood up in front of the team and told the team, ‘I don’t know how y’all feel about this game because I haven’t been here. But y’all have played in it a lot, and I haven’t, and I want to play in this game. I want to win this championship, it’s part of the reason that I came here.’”
Smart praised Etienne throughout the season for his leadership and toughness, playing through shoulder and rib injuries for a Bulldogs’ team that was short of healthy players at the running back position.
Georgia freshman tailback Nate Frazier is expected to return to the Bulldogs, while tailbacks Branson Robinson (injured) and Roderick Robinson (not at the Sugar Bowl) have yet to announce their intentions.
