Travis Etienne Expecting ‘Nerves to Be All Over Place’ in First NFL Game With Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne together again in Jacksonville.

Both were selected by Jacksonville in the first round of the NFL Draft, with Lawrence going number-one overall, but while the two do have some familiarity with one another, Clemson’s all-time leading rusher says that doesn’t mean he won’t be filled with emotion when it’s time to take the field for the first time as a professional football player.

“I feel like my first game is going to be very nerve racking and I’ll be filled with so many emotions,” Etienne said. “Nerves will be all over the place but I feel like after the ball is kicked off, I get my first hit, and first tackle when they hit me one time. I’ll be great.”

About to have the best rookie cards in the game! Check out behind the scenes of our shoot and to see some of my life in Jacksonville.

S/o @PaniniAmerica for the love. #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/YXHNXZrdPB

— Travis Etienne Jr⁶𓅓 (@swaggy_t1) July 6, 2021

The running back position is hard enough for rookies coming into the NFL to learn. After being moved to wide receiver during rookie minicamp, Etienne is now having learn to play two different positions, making the learning curve that much greater.

“My main focus is learning the playbook right now so I can get on the field and be able to make plays,” Etienne said.

While players experience a lot of change when making the transition from the collegiate level to the NFL, one thing Etienne maintains will remain the same for him will be the humility he has always shown during his four-year career at Clemson.

“Other than winning games I could care less about individual accolades,” Etienne said. “Because I feel like as we’re doing good on the field we’ll be good.”