University of Georgia Athletics
Siblings Challenged And Inspired Walker, Etienne
September 24, 2024 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Independent of one another, Jalon Walker and Trevor Etienne were asked after practice last Tuesday if there was someone early on in their football or athletic careers that played a pivotal role in getting them to where they are today. Both Georgia Bulldogs credited their brothers, one younger and one older, for helping make them the players and men they've become.
"To give credit where it's due, I give credit to my younger brother," Walker, one of the Bulldogs' top pass rushers, said of Deuce, now a freshman defensive back at Georgia State.
"We are very competitive, we are a very competitive household, and we fought to see who was first to the car, who could put the seatbelt on the fastest — it was crazy, the way we competed."
It was a similar story for running backs Travis and Trevor Etienne.
"Everything we've done, we've found a way to compete in it," Trevor said.
Trevor played his first two collegiate seasons at Florida, where in 24 games he rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and caught 30 passes. In his two games with the Bulldogs, he's rushed 24 times for 157 yards and caught three passes. Georgia coach Kirby Smart has praised Etienne for his toughness and leadership.
"I can't imagine what kind of leader he would be if he had been in the program the whole time, because he's not afraid to speak out and talk and speak up," Smart said recently. "And I respect that about him because ... he hasn't had even a full year with these guys, but he's not afraid to speak up — and he's a tremendous leader in toughness."
Some of that toughness, no doubt, is a byproduct of chasing after and trying to be like his older brother.
"I was that annoying little brother that was always following him around and trying to do everything he did," Trevor said.
Like Trevor, Travis Etienne Jr. is a physical and powerful running back. After a stellar career at Clemson, he was drafted 25th overall in 2021 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In four seasons with the Tigers, Travis amassed 4,952 rushing yards, 1,155 receiving yards and 78 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2022 and '23 with the Jags.
"I'm extremely blessed to have a brother that's in that position and to be playing the same position that I play. I like to say I have a cheat code, someone that I can ask any question to about the game, and he knows how to answer. I'm just blessed to have him in my life, to have that big brother and that close relationship with him."
Jalon and Deuce are the sons of a longtime coach, Curtis, who has worked at the high school and collegiate levels in the Carolinas for more than 25 years. Jalon, an inside linebacker, led the Bulldogs with five sacks last season, and he has 1.5 this season, along with a team-high 13 QB pressures, heading into the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs' big showdown at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday.
According to the participation list on Georgia State's website, Deuce Walker has not yet seen the field for the Panthers. But when he does, his older brother will, no doubt, have played a significant role in getting him there.
"When he did good, I wanted to do better," Walker said of the brothers' ever-present competitiveness. "When I do good, he wants to do better. I just felt like that competitive edge that we had in the house, it was a healthy competitive edge. That's how we play now — we play hard and physical and competitive."
Did it ever go a bit too far and lead to fights?
"Oh, most definitely. That's brotherly love," Walker said with a laugh. "We would argue, and then five minutes later we would be back to being best friends."
The Etienne brothers, who are both wearing No. 1 this season, are built about the same, which is to say they're compact, muscular, and look like they'd be very hard to bring down. The Jaguars list the 25-year-old Travis at 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, and Trevor, five years younger at 20, is listed at 5-9 and 205.
Because of the age gap, Trevor and Travis never played on the same team in an organized sport. But Jalon and Deuce did.
"He was a left-handed point guard and a good basketball player, and we did compete on a basketball team together," Walker said of Deuce. "I enjoyed it. We had an opportunity to play with each other my last year playing basketball (at Salisbury High in North Carolina)."
And there's one moment that stands out in their time together.
"My first points of the year, it was a fast break, and he made a half-court pass," Walker said, smiling at the memory. "He gave me a pass and I dunked it. That's how we started off our basketball career together."
For the Etienne brothers, they mostly went head to head, at everything from one-on-one basketball to video games. Trevor said he earned his share of wins. Now, as they're off doing their own things and not back home together in Louisiana much, they mostly root just for each other.
"It's that thing of, I'm watching his dreams come true, watching him live his dreams," Trevor said. "He paved the way and set the blueprint for me to follow. It really is just a blessing."
Staff Writer
Independent of one another, Jalon Walker and Trevor Etienne were asked after practice last Tuesday if there was someone early on in their football or athletic careers that played a pivotal role in getting them to where they are today. Both Georgia Bulldogs credited their brothers, one younger and one older, for helping make them the players and men they've become.
"To give credit where it's due, I give credit to my younger brother," Walker, one of the Bulldogs' top pass rushers, said of Deuce, now a freshman defensive back at Georgia State.
"We are very competitive, we are a very competitive household, and we fought to see who was first to the car, who could put the seatbelt on the fastest — it was crazy, the way we competed."
It was a similar story for running backs Travis and Trevor Etienne.
"Everything we've done, we've found a way to compete in it," Trevor said.
Trevor played his first two collegiate seasons at Florida, where in 24 games he rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and caught 30 passes. In his two games with the Bulldogs, he's rushed 24 times for 157 yards and caught three passes. Georgia coach Kirby Smart has praised Etienne for his toughness and leadership.
"I can't imagine what kind of leader he would be if he had been in the program the whole time, because he's not afraid to speak out and talk and speak up," Smart said recently. "And I respect that about him because ... he hasn't had even a full year with these guys, but he's not afraid to speak up — and he's a tremendous leader in toughness."
Some of that toughness, no doubt, is a byproduct of chasing after and trying to be like his older brother.
"I was that annoying little brother that was always following him around and trying to do everything he did," Trevor said.
Like Trevor, Travis Etienne Jr. is a physical and powerful running back. After a stellar career at Clemson, he was drafted 25th overall in 2021 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In four seasons with the Tigers, Travis amassed 4,952 rushing yards, 1,155 receiving yards and 78 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2022 and '23 with the Jags.
"I'm extremely blessed to have a brother that's in that position and to be playing the same position that I play. I like to say I have a cheat code, someone that I can ask any question to about the game, and he knows how to answer. I'm just blessed to have him in my life, to have that big brother and that close relationship with him."
Jalon and Deuce are the sons of a longtime coach, Curtis, who has worked at the high school and collegiate levels in the Carolinas for more than 25 years. Jalon, an inside linebacker, led the Bulldogs with five sacks last season, and he has 1.5 this season, along with a team-high 13 QB pressures, heading into the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs' big showdown at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday.
According to the participation list on Georgia State's website, Deuce Walker has not yet seen the field for the Panthers. But when he does, his older brother will, no doubt, have played a significant role in getting him there.
"When he did good, I wanted to do better," Walker said of the brothers' ever-present competitiveness. "When I do good, he wants to do better. I just felt like that competitive edge that we had in the house, it was a healthy competitive edge. That's how we play now — we play hard and physical and competitive."
Did it ever go a bit too far and lead to fights?
"Oh, most definitely. That's brotherly love," Walker said with a laugh. "We would argue, and then five minutes later we would be back to being best friends."
The Etienne brothers, who are both wearing No. 1 this season, are built about the same, which is to say they're compact, muscular, and look like they'd be very hard to bring down. The Jaguars list the 25-year-old Travis at 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, and Trevor, five years younger at 20, is listed at 5-9 and 205.
Because of the age gap, Trevor and Travis never played on the same team in an organized sport. But Jalon and Deuce did.
"He was a left-handed point guard and a good basketball player, and we did compete on a basketball team together," Walker said of Deuce. "I enjoyed it. We had an opportunity to play with each other my last year playing basketball (at Salisbury High in North Carolina)."
And there's one moment that stands out in their time together.
"My first points of the year, it was a fast break, and he made a half-court pass," Walker said, smiling at the memory. "He gave me a pass and I dunked it. That's how we started off our basketball career together."
For the Etienne brothers, they mostly went head to head, at everything from one-on-one basketball to video games. Trevor said he earned his share of wins. Now, as they're off doing their own things and not back home together in Louisiana much, they mostly root just for each other.
"It's that thing of, I'm watching his dreams come true, watching him live his dreams," Trevor said. "He paved the way and set the blueprint for me to follow. It really is just a blessing."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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