Jags RB Travis Etienne Jr. Returns to Louisiana for Thursday Night Football

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. returns to his home state of Louisiana for a Thursday Night Football matchup with the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.

The 24-year-old was a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports, during a standout prep career at Jennings High School in Jennings, Louisiana. And for good reason. Etienne scored over 100 touchdowns and accounted for nearly 9,000 yards in high school. The running back eventually committed to play college football at Clemson rather than stay in-state at LSU, or go to any of the other dozens of schools that offered him a scholarship.

Thursday's game at the Superdome will mark Etienne's first time back playing in the Pelican State since being drafted by the Jaguars in 2021. Just how dominant was Etienne in high school? And could another standout performance be in order for Etienne's return home?

Let's take a look.

Etienne a TD Machine in Louisiana

The Louisiana product was a three-time all-district and All-Parish performer during his time at Jennings High. Etienne also earned all-state honors in 2015 and was named the state's AAA MVP that same year, among various other honors.

It's not hard to see why.

Etienne finished his prep career by accounting for 8,864 total yards and scoring 115 TDs. As a junior, he ran for 2,938 yards in just 11 games (267 yards per game) and scored 42 touchdowns. Then, he followed that up by running for 2,459 yards (11.7 yards per rush) and reaching the end zone 39 times as a senior. Etienne ran for at least 200 yards on six occasions that season and scored at least once in every game.

Clips of Etienne dominating his high school competition still occasionally make their way onto X, formerly known as Twitter.

Etienne received scholarship offers from 29 schools, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But his college decision came down to Clemson, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. The 5-foot-10 back decided to play for the Tigers — in South Carolina, not Louisiana — and became the last commitment of Clemson's 2017 class.

"I'm taking my talents to the real Death Valley," Etienne said at the time.

That decision worked out. Etienne went 27-0 at home in "Death Valley" over his four-year college career. The All-American won four ACC titles, made four College Football Playoff (CFP) berths, and won a national championship in his time with the Tigers. Etienne finished his tenure with the Tigers as the ACC career record-holder for rushing yards (4,952), total touchdowns (78) and rushing touchdowns (70).

He also owns the FBS record for most career games scoring a touchdown (46).

Etienne to Continue Heavy Workload vs. Saints

The final game of Etienne's college career was played in the same stadium the Jaguars will take the field in on Thursday night.

Clemson lost a CFP semifinal game against Ohio State, 49-28, at the Superdome on New Year's Day in 2021. Etienne accounted for 96 yards and a touchdown that night. A more memorable performance may be on the way Thursday.

Etienne has scored four total TDs over Jacksonville's last two games, both Jaguar wins. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound running back has an NFL-high 113 carries this season. Etienne's 451 rushing yards rank sixth in the NFL, while his five rushing scores are tied for sixth. Only three other players in the NFL have at least 450 yards and five touchdowns on the ground this season.

The No. 25 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, who missed his rookie season with a foot injury, only received 220 carries across all of last season. But the Jaguars are confident Etienne can continue to handle a heavy workload in his second full year in the NFL, including against New Orleans.

"Yeah, he hasn't shown us he can't at this point in time," offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Tuesday. "Obviously, we like to spread the wealth and we like to continue with the hot hand, whatever that may be. Pass game, run game. He's been a guy that is obviously a gamebreaker for us. He's been able to come through in those situations when we continue to give him the football.

"He has opportunities and he finds opportunities, he creates his own opportunities at times. We want to continue to give the ball to our best players at all times."

The Jaguars (4-2) could be depending on Etienne even more than usual against the Saints (3-3) if quarterback Trevor Lawrence is limited. Lawrence, Etienne's Clemson teammate and Jacksonville's other first-round pick in 2021, is questionable to play with a knee injury.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will stream on Amazon Prime.