ATHENS – One of the key differences between the Georgia program and the Clemson program is the usage of transfer players. Clemson brought in zero players via the transfer portal, while the Bulldogs added nine.

The most impactful of those additions would seem to be Trevor Etienne. The Florida running back quickly established himself as a leader upon arriving in Athens this spring.

Many in the national media see Etienne as one of the top transfer adds in the country, with ESPN naming Etienne to its Preseason All-Transfer team.

“Etienne has an opportunity to prove he’s one of the SEC’s best in Georgia’s offense and could be the missing piece the Bulldogs needed to win another national title in 2024,” ESPN’s Max Olson wrote. “The versatile 5-foot-9, 205-pound back averaged 7.8 yards per touch as a rusher, receiver and returner over his two seasons at Florida and has wowed his new coaches with his ability to make defenders miss.”

Of course, Georgia may have to wait a week to see what Etienne brings to the table. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has not given any indication on if Etienne will be suspended following his offseason arrest.

Etienne was arrested in March and ultimately pled guilty to underage possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and a window tint violation. He also pled no contest to a reckless driving charge.

Georgia will also be without sophomore running back Roderick Robinson, as he had toe surgery.

Yet confidence in the running back room still remains high.

“I felt really comfortable with where our backfield is in those games. They’re doing a good job,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. ‘At Georgia, we don’t say, let’s start all over. There’s been these guys that have been in our program that have been picking up stunts, blitzes that our defense runs. We do two-spot walkthroughs where they get to pick stuff up. So there’s a lot of guys that have had a lot of reps doing those things that hopefully have great games Saturday.”

Etienne will still likely be Georgia’s leading running back come the end of the season. He topped 700 yards rushing in each of his two seasons at Florida. By comparison, Branson Robinson has just 330 rushing yards in his career, the most of any other Georgia running back on the roster.

Georgia also brought in three freshmen this offseason, bolstering the depth in the group. Nate Frazier will likely see an uptick in carries in the event Etienne doesn’t play, as will senior Cash Jones.

If Etienne doesn’t play, Georgia still has a number of solutions for any potential problem caused by his absence.

“I think our running back room is so deep, especially those young guys that are coming in,” quarterback Carson Beck said. “You look at Etienne, you look at Cash and those type of guys that are going to be able to make plays with the run game, in the pass game. Super excited to have them, and it always makes my job a lot easier when you have a talented running back room.”

Of course, having a quarterback as talented as Beck will go a long way in helping the Georgia offense. He’s expected to be the top quarterback in the country. He and Etienne should both benefit from the other’s presence.

We likely won’t know Etienne’s status, with Smart and Georgia unlikely to publicly announce any discipline. Etienne could dress out for the game and still not get in, as was the case for Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint last season.

Saturday’s game against Clemson is set for a 12 p.m. ET start, with ABC broadcasting the game.