Can Etienne be the best running back Clemson has ever had?
By: will-vandervort June 8, 2019

Last year, Travis Etienne had the best year ever by a Clemson running back.

The Jennings, Louisiana native set the single-season school rushing record with 1,658 yards, while also demolishing the program’s single-season record for touchdowns (24) and total touchdowns (26). His total touchdowns also tied an ACC record.

Etienne averaged 110.5 yards per game, the second-best figure in school history for a single season. His 8.1 yards per carry average is the best by any qualifying running back in a season. Obliterating Billy Hair’s 1950 record of 7.4 yards per carry.

The 2018 ACC Player of the Year rushed for 100 yards or more eight times last season, including a career-high 203 yards against Syracuse. He also rushed for 150 or more yards five other times and scored at least 3 touchdowns in four different games.

Now the question is can Etienne be the greatest running back in school history? To do that, he will have to better or equal the season he had last year, at least from a statistical standpoint.

As the All-American enters the 2019 season, all of the career rushing marks are in his sight, including the granddaddy of them all – the career rushing record.

Raymond Priester’s career rushing mark of 3,966 yards, which was set from 1994-’97, is in range. Etienne needs 1,543 yards to become Clemson’s all-time leader, a mark he could pass if he averages the same number of rushing yards per game that he did last season.

Etienne’s 37 career rushing touchdowns already rank third in Clemson history and he needs 11 to break James Davis career record (47), which was set from 2005-’08. He ranks fourth all time in total touchdowns with 39, and he needs 13 in total to break C.J. Spiller’s record of 51, which was set from 2006-’09.

All three of those major records are held by running backs that played four years at Clemson. Etienne has a shot to break all three of them as a junior, as well as average yards per carry in a career, which he currently owns at 7.8 yards per carry. A minimum of 1,000 career yards.

–video courtesy of the ACC Digital Network