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Former Clemson Tigers running back Travis Etienne actually grew up rooting for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Former Clemson Tigers running back Travis Etienne is from Louisiana, but he actually grew up rooting for the Tennessee Vols.
“I was a Tennessee fan,” said Etienne before playing LSU in the national championship game in early 2020. “I was a fan of the Tennessee Volunteers. … I took my visit there and I just knew it wasn't the place for me. Just really didn't like the vibe.”
Etienne commented on his Tennessee recruitment in an interview with ESPN this week, and while he didn’t reveal why he didn’t like the “vibe” on Rocky Top, he did reveal then-Vols head coach Butch Jones’ recruiting pitch to him.
According to Etienne, Jones told him that he could be the next Alvin Kamara at Tennessee.
“Coach [Butch] Jones was telling me I could come there and kind of play that role similar to Alvin because I feel like he was truly one of the first guys to be a receiver outside of the backfield,” said Etienne. “And I feel like I try to marry my game after him in some ways like that.”
Etienne clearly made the right decision to go to Clemson — he won a national championship in 2018 and he was a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Still, it would’ve been fun to see Etienne in the orange and white.
Kamara and Etienne will be teammates in 2026 with the New Orleans Saints.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Former Clemson star who grew up rooting for Tennessee finally reveals the recruiting pitch that then Vols coach Butch Jones made to him
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