Florida football: Dan Mullen would have benched Trevor Etienne
By Will Thomas
![Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) breaks a tackle at the goalline for a 80+ yard touchdown during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 12, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Carolina GamecocksSyndication Gainesville Sun](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Feabadbd3b77fdf3ffb8a6b4c3e10b63d938d5a379a5de2f19e92dee1be40cf04.jpg "Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) breaks a tackle at the goalline for a 80+ yard touchdown during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 12, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Carolina GamecocksSyndication Gainesville Sun")
Florida football has featured an elite run game this season, and a large part of it is thanks to freshman running back Trevor Etienne. He’s part of the two-headed monster with Montrell Johnson and is a great compliment to Anthony Richardson.
Etienne wasn’t getting lots of reps at the beginning of the season, as it was mostly Nay’Quan Wright and Montrell Johnson splitting carries. He didn’t receive double-digit carries until week six and has since gotten 10+ runs in 3 of the last 5 games.
With all of the success he’s having, however, we need to be grateful he’s playing under Billy Napier’s staff because Dan Mullen wouldn’t have let him see the field.
Florida football: Wait, freshmen can play now?
Under the previous administration, it seemed as if there was nothing an upperclassman could do to be benched for a more promising young guy. And for the veterans who were game changers, like Dameon Pierce, they didn’t get the focus around them that they deserved.
We’ve already covered the misuse of Pierce enough I just wanted to bring him up again.
If Mullen and his staff were still in charge, Wright would be getting 15 carries a game, Montrell wouldn’t even be on the team, and we’d barely know who Etienne is.
Luckily, we’re in a new era where the best talent sees the field. Trevor has been a huge addition to the team and got some recognition from the SEC as the freshman of the week after his game against South Carolina, which featured an 85-yard house call.
TREVOR ETIENNE. 85-YARD HOUSE CALL.
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 12, 2022
THE LONGEST PLAY OF THE SEASON FOR THE GATORS 🐊 pic.twitter.com/An8QI2nRv6
Last week against the Gamecocks was also Etienne’s first 100-yard game, which we can expect to see many more of as his career progresses.
Not to mention how much Etienne’s success helps recruiting. Seeing a freshman come in and ball out the way that Trevor has makes recruits feel that they could do that too.
Napier’s willingness to let young guys play has paid off, as Etienne is already starting to establish himself as an elite running back. The rest of the country should be on alert because he’s only going to get better as time goes on.
Keep up with Florida football at Hail Florida Hail.