Sources: Georgia RB Etienne out vs. Clemson

ATLANTA — Georgia will be without transfer running back Trevor Etienne in Saturday’s opener against No. 14 Clemson as a result of his arrest earlier this spring on DUI and reckless driving charges, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

Etienne, who transferred to Georgia from Florida in January, was expected to be the starting tailback for the No. 1 Bulldogs against the Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Georgia will also be without tailback Roderick Robinson II, who recently underwent surgery for turf toe.

The Bulldogs will rely on sophomore Branson Robinson, freshman Nate Frazier and walk-on Cash Jones in the running game against the Tigers.

Etienne, the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars tailback Travis Etienne Jr., was arrested March 24 on charges of DUI, reckless driving and three other misdemeanors. In a plea agreement in July, prosecutors dropped the DUI charge as Etienne pleaded no contest to reckless driving and guilty to charges of underage possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and a window-tint violation.

He received 12 months of probation. He was fined $852 and ordered to complete a substance abuse evaluation, 40 hours of community service and an alcohol risk reduction program.

Under Georgia athletic department policy, Etienne would have missed 10% of the Bulldogs’ season — at least one game — if he had been found guilty of DUI. It was initially unclear whether the plea agreement changed that.

“I don’t really talk about all the other stuff, with regards to suspensions, for any of our players,” coach Kirby Smart said Monday.

Branson Robinson missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from a ruptured patella tendon. Robinson, ESPN’s top running back prospect in the 2022 class, has practiced in preseason camp without limitations, Smart said.

Robinson, from Canton, Mississippi, ran for 330 yards with three scores as a freshman in 2022.