All is fair in love and war, and as the saying goes, if you ain't a Gator, then you are Gator Bait. For two seasons, Trevor Etienne was a solid running back for the Gators, but then he jumped ship to Georgia, and all goodwill went out the building.
So while most eyes were on Shedeur Sanders during the Cleveland Browns vs Carolina Panthers preseason game, Florida fans also took note of a key moment that involved the former Gator.
Trevor Etienne fumbles in debut
Etienne was sent back to field and returned a punt for the Panthers, and it did not go well for the rookie. Etienne tried to run up 10 yards and singled fair catch, but he failed at the catching part and muffed the punt.
The Browns recovered and scored a touchdown on their subsequent drive.
that's Browns ball!#CLEvsCAR on NFLN, @WEWS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/qMdFZBG2OI
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 8, 2025
Etienne finished with two carries for three yards and one catch for 14 yards to go with his lost fumble.
Etienne committed and signed with the Gators in 2022 and was one of the first signings of the Billy Napier Era. He racked up 719 yards rushing his freshman year and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
He maintained similar numbers in 2023 and had 756 yards rushing with an average of 5.8 yards per carry.
But after back-to-back losing seasons, including the 5-7 campaign in 2023, Etienne jumped ship to Georgia.
The irony for Etienne is that, from an individual standpoint, he didn't have a great 2024 season with the Bulldogs. He was arrested almost instantly the moment he arrived in Athens and was suspended for the opener against Clemson.
He then had a rib injury and had to miss some time due to that. Along the way, his yards per carry dipped to 4.9 in 2024.
He ended up getting drafted in the 4th round by the Panthers, but he will need games better than what he had on Friday if he wants to stick around in the NFL.