Clemson football: Dabo Swinney compares Travis Etienne to NFL legend

Travis Etienne is arguably the best running back in college football, and his coach compared him to Walter Payton .

The Clemson Tigers moved to 3-0 with a 41-23 win over Virginia Saturday night. Running back Travis Etienne beat the Cavaliers via ground (14 carries for 73 yards, one touchdown) and air (five catch for 114 yards, one touchdown), averaging a robust 9.8 yards per touch in the game.

Etienne put on some displays of power and speed on Saturday night, particularly on a 46-yard catch-and-run and his 16-yard touchdown run.

As impressive as he is, it can be easy to take what Etienne does for granted as his teammates garner attention too. He could have been a first-round pick last April, but he chose to come back to Clemson for his final season instead. The pandemic made that decision to come back look iffy for a time. But so far so good, as Clemson and college football as a whole has been able to play and conferences that had cancelled a fall season have plans to play now.

Travis Etienne compared to Sweetness

After Saturday night’s game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney compared Etienne to an NFL legend.

Walter Payton was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher from 1984 until Emmitt Smith passed him in 2002, and he’s still second all-time with 16,726 yards. He was an example of grace and agility combined with unique power as a runner, and he was a bit ahead of his time as an all-around back who could catch the ball and be a stonewalling force as a pass blocker.

Swinney is a walking quote machine, and his comparison of Etienne to a legend like Payton stretches into obvious hyperbole. But Etienne does have a bright future in the NFL, and his versatility will serve him well when he gets to the next level.