JAGUARS RB TRAVIS ETIENNE JR. INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE
April 30, 2021
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR. (On what the road’s been like and if he believed it’d be possible to get to this point) “I can say I always thought it’d be possible, but just to see it coming full circle feels really amazing, honestly. Being from Jennings, Louisiana, a town of 10,000, a very small town. Just kind of crazy I’m here in Jacksonville, but I’m really excited, I really can’t wait, and I just thank God for my journey. It couldn’t have ended in a better way.”
ETIENNE (On his first impressions of Trevor Lawrence) “Well when Trevor arrived on campus he was just about business since day one. Trevor always had that persona about him that he was ready to go. He’s always been cool, calm and collected. He was a freshman, but he was a sophomore really, when he came in you just knew what you were getting from Trevor day in and day out. My favorite play that I’ve seen of Trevor’s — and I’ve seen many — but it was probably the Georgia Tech game. He just floats the ball up and I think Amari [Rodgers] maybe running full speed and catches the ball and scores. I’ve seen that a million times with Trevor. You get kind of caught in the moment because I’m right there next to him and he’s the first pick in the draft, and that’s kind of crazy and I’m thankful that I got to be on this journey and we get to continue our journey together.”
ETIENNE (on how much of a comfort it is having Trevor as his quarterback in Jacksonville) “I feel like it provides you with a sense of normalcy having Trevor here just being with him the past three years. I feel that if I was with or without Trevor, I’d be making plays, that’s kind of what I’m here to do. I’m just thankful that I have Trevor and we’re on the same team. We don’t have to fight against each other.”
URBAN MEYER (on what Coach Swinney told him about Etienne): “I’ve known both these guys a long time and maybe not personally but as someone involved in college football and recruiting, and I’ve admired his play. Dabo [Swinney] and I go way, way back, so we’ve had some very good conversations about both Trevor and Travis, but it was really nothing I wasn’t aware of because I saw firsthand, I saw the violence that he plays with and the speed — speed wins. We were a team that really struggled with big play hits last year and, especially in the NFL, but the opportunity to sustain 10-, 12-, 13-play drives, the percentages say that doesn’t happen, so we need some hits and we didn’t have it. Travis has got that gift. He’s got that gift of if that guy touches the ball there’s a chance it’s going, and that’s the biggest thing I looked at. Of course the high quality — I look forward to meeting with his family, that’s always very important to me, extremely high quality family and someone that’s going to be here grinding, that’s real important to this organization as well.”
ETIENNE (on how the team is going to count on him to make big plays) “I just want to piggyback off of what Trevor said and continue to be ourselves. I feel like our whole careers we’ve made big plays and that’s how we’ve gotten here to this point. No need to change who you are, who you have been, just got to get into the weight room, get in the film study, learn the playbook and stuff like that. I feel as if we can continue to take care of things we’ve been taking care of, the film will take care of itself and there will be plenty of big plays around here.”
ETIENNE (on how important it was to develop into a pass-catching running back) “It was very important, especially with where the position is headed. For the running backs, you want to be an every-down back, three-down back, be out there on third down so you get those little dump offs that turn into 10-, 20-yard gains. I feel as if my transition, it was really amazing to have Trevor. He’s here again, so we worked on that every day after practice, I found a jug machine and we just owned it, we wanted to be better, so we got in there and we worked after practice.”
OWNER SHAD KHAN: “Quick learner!”
URBAN MEYER (on how hard is to build a team that is faster than everybody else at the NFL level) “It’s so hard. Everyone’s trying, that’s not a secret. I know we have another day and a half of drafting, but I kind of like where we’re at. We have some juice on the field now, and we have an opportunity to get even faster coming up here, but it’s got to be the right kind of speed, it’s got to be efficient speed, it’s got to be speed that — you know I’ve had fast guys that aren’t very good players — and this guy checked all the boxes as far as that. The other thing about offensive football is it’s a matchup game too, and that’s where you look for a player that has a little bit of hybrid or can do a couple things. Travis is very appealing when you can move him out there and you figure their fourth-best cover guy is going to cover a guy like this. He’s got a long way to go in certain areas, but he is really talented and Clemson did a really good job with him to this point.”
ETIENNE (on what it was about Jacksonville that appealed to him): “I knew Trevor was coming here. You’d be crazy not to want to play with Trevor Lawrence. I definitely wanted to be with Trevor. I feel as if, like I said earlier, it brings me that sense of normalcy being with him these past three years. I feel like I can’t wait to do great things here.”
ETIENNE (on him and Lawrence’s chemistry) “We built a lot of chemistry, especially these past two years. His freshman year, I wasn’t that much of a receiving threat. His sophomore and junior years, we stayed out after practice and kept working, kept working, kept working. You just see it kind of pays off. You see it on the field now, he’s throwing me darts, things he probably would’ve thrown to me his freshman year, now he has the confidence in me and trust in me, so I’m grateful.”
JAGUARS OL WALKER LITTLE
April 30, 2021
(On how he is feeling and how has this last year and a half been like for him) “I mean I’m one hundred percent. I’m as strong as in shape as I’ve ever been. I’m really ready for the NFL, for this next step. This last year and a half has been a lot of training, it’s been a lot of football studying just trying to learn the game a lot better, trying to get stronger and just working on a lot of technique work. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some really good coaches — Paul Alexander and Duke Manyweather being two of them. I’ve been training with them and working really hard to be in the best shape to one get here and be drafted but also to compete and play.”
(On if he has any apprehension since he hasn’t played a game in some time) “No, I’m ready for it. One, it’s the game I’ve been playing for so long. Two, I’ve been working at it since my last game to one get back to fully healthy and since I’ve been healthy now for almost a year now just training to be at my peak and be ready to step in as soon as I can at minicamp and start going at it. I have no concerns about stepping in and playing again.”
(On if he was healthy and ready to go for this past season) “Yeah, I was healthy and ready to go. I was on campus training with the team ready to start our full season off. When the season got canceled, me and our head coach [David] Shaw kind of had a conversation and decided that it’d be best for me to just take the next step and leave the uncertainty that was Stanford and was the Pac-12 season and start preparing for the NFL.”
(On if it was hard to train without having a season) “It was just tough not playing. It’s been a while and it’s the game I love and it’s the game I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. So to not be able to play last year was tough. Having to watch my team play those two games they got in was tough, but I’m excited and I was able to work at it, put myself in position to get drafted. Now I’m getting drafted by a team like this, and I’m so excited for it.”
(On what he did besides train) “On game days I tried to look at it as being supportive watching the team, and any time I got a chance to watch football it was just a chance for me to kind of learn and really watch what was going on the offensive side of the ball and watch O-Line play and study the game and watch NFL film and take it as a progression. I’d give myself goals on the amount of film to study each week and I was just trying to get better each and every day and each and every week.”
(On if the Jaguars talked to him about playing left tackle or right tackle) “They’ve talked to me about playing either side. I think I’m just an O-Line prospect for them to see that I can play either side and come in and compete. That’s what we’ve talked about and that’s what I’m here to do.”
(On if he feels more comfortable on the left or right side) “I mean, I guess off the get-go it’d be left, because that’s what I played in college. Truthfully, there’s not much difference to me, especially over the past year and a half as I’ve been training, I’ve been working both sides knowing that the versatility would help me one to get drafted and two once I am in the League any team wants a versatile player, so I’ve been training both sides and I feel comfortable playing either side.”
(On how much he talked with the Jaguars before being selected and is he surprised to be taken by Jacksonville) “I talked to them a good bit, probably as much, if not more than any other team. I’ve had a few meetings with their O-Line Coach [George] Warhop, and I’ve met with Coach Meyer last week and I’ve had some meetings with personnel department as well. They’re definitely the team I met with more and so I knew that I had them on my radar as a team with potential, but as with any draft you never really know what’s going to happen. When it worked out, I was super excited because I felt I had a pretty good relationship with Coach Warhop and we were able to discuss a lot of ball, so I feel like I have at least a slight understanding of what to expect coming in.”
CB TYSON CAMPBELL
April 30, 2021
(On returning to play in his home state of Florida) “It’s a surreal feeling, man. I’m blessed with the opportunity to stay in my home state where family can have not too far of a drive to come see me, so I’m excited.”
(On what position he feels most comfortable playing) “I feel like I can do it all, but I do enjoy playing corner. But like I said, with my athletic ability and my knowledge of the game, I do feel I could play inside or play safety if needed. [I can play] all over the field though.”
(On what he learned from his former coach Patrick Surtain Sr. at American Heritage High School) “Just to keep working on your craft, never be satisfied, to always find something to learn, whether it be something mental or physical. At the end of each practice or the end of each game, always find something to learn from. I think that’s something I brought with me throughout my college career.”
(On returning to TIAA Bank Field after playing there annually for the Florida Georgia game) “That’s been bittersweet. This past year, we lost in there, but the other two years have been good to me. I enjoy playing in that stadium, it’s always been packed. It’s always good to come home to the Sunshine State when I was in Athens, just to get that Florida feeling back.”
(On his familiarity with Jaguars CB and former Gators CB CJ Henderson) “I knew CJ Henderson when he was at Columbus [High School] in Miami, Florida. We weren’t playing [against each other] in high school football, but we would always compete in track and field, so I’m definitely familiar with him.”
(On being recruiting by Head Coach Urban Meyer in high school) “Coach Meyer came to a football camp down in Florida, it was at FIU. I think him and [Alabama Head Coach Nick] Saban were there, and I got a chance to meet him and [Ohio State Defensive Coordinator] Coach Coombs at the time. We just hit it off from there and always had a great relationship. Unfortunately, I didn’t choose the Ohio State University, but I always knew me and Coach Meyer always got along well. It all played out perfectly, so I’m excited.”
(On if Coach Urban Meyer mentioned the past recruiting in their talks) “He gave me a hard time about it, but we laughed about it too.”
(On his reaction to being drafted by the Jaguars with the team selecting a cornerback in the first round in last year’s draft and signing a veteran CB in free agency) “I was just waiting on a call. I wouldn’t say I was surprised just knowing that I’m versatile and I can learn a new position, that I could play and fit with any team. I didn’t really come in not expecting anything. I do feel like with this defense I can fit in it and play well.”
(On if he feels comfortable playing on the inside and outside) “Yes, I do. I trust my feet, I trust my hips, feel like I could run with anybody.”
(On facing fellow CB CJ Henderson in high school track) “Usually, it would be the 4×100. We ran a 40. We would run 40.0 or 40.1. We would always usually win that race.”
(On his 4×100 split) “I don’t know my split, but my best 100 time was 10.38.”
