Tailback Trevor Etienne declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced Tuesday night on Instagram, dealing another blow to a Georgia run game that was coming off a tough season.

Etienne, who transferred from Florida before last season, was Georgia’s starting tailback when healthy. He rushed for 609 yards, second on the team behind Nate Frazier, while also catching 32 passes for 194 yards. Etienne’s older brother, Travis, plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

When Georgia won the SEC championship, Etienne scored the winning touchdown in overtime, in a game he also rushed for a season-high 94 yards.

But a rib injury kept Etienne out for two full games, and limited him in two more. He was also suspended for the season opener against Clemson after a March DUI arrest. The missed time appeared to push Etienne’s draft stock down to the middle rounds, and he spent nearly two weeks after Georgia’s season ended debating his decision.

Georgia was hoping to get Etienne back, especially given attrition on the offensive line, where four starters are departing. This after a season in which the Bulldogs fell to 11th in the SEC in rushing yards (per attempt) last year, and 15th in total rushing yards.

Now an even bigger weight will fall on Frazier, who as a freshman led the team with 671 rushing yards. Georgia also badly needs a return to health for two physical backs who have battled health problems: Branson Robinson (who scored two touchdowns in the 2023 national championship game) and Roderick Robinson, the third-leading rusher in 2023. The two combined for just 29 carries during the 2024 season.

The team does return Cash Jones, a walk-on who scored Georgia’s only touchdown in the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame. (Jones caught a Gunner Stockton pass on a wheel route.) A pair of rising sophomores can also move into bigger roles: Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens. Four-star recruit Bo Walker will also get a long look.

But Etienne’s departure will also hasten the chance Georgia looks for a veteran back during the spring portal window, unless it feels better about its situation after spring practice.

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(Photo: Butch Dill / Getty Images)