What Clemson’s Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins said about upcoming NFL decisions
Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons announced earlier this season that this will be his last year of college football as he is off to the NFL, but fellow juniors Tee Higgins, Travis Etienne and A.J. Terrell still have a choice to make.
Terrell did not speak to the media following Monday’s national title game loss to LSU after getting torched by LSU star Ja’Marr Chase, but Etienne and Higgins both did and discussed what will go into their decisions.
The deadline to declare for the NFL draft is this Friday, leaving players just a couple of days to decide.
Most expect Higgins and Etienne to declare, but Higgins, who finished the year with 59 catches for 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns, did not tip his hand following Monday’s 42-25 loss.
“My goal is to come back, graduate and play next season. I’m gonna talk it over with my family, my coaches and go from there,” Higgins said, before walking back his comment just a bit. “I’m even on it. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
Etienne also plans to talk with his family and coaches before announcing his intentions but said Monday’s loss will have no effect on his choice.
The Louisiana native finished the year with 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns and became Clemson’s all-time leading rusher for a career Monday night.
“Whenever the due date is, I’ll kind of look on that and see when I have to make it by. Tonight doesn’t alter that, winning or losing, my decision’s going to be based off of what I believe in,” Etienne said. “Just what I hold firm and stand as a person. I just have to go home, sit with my family, talk to coach (Dabo) Swinney, coach (Tony) Elliott. Look at the pros and cons and see what’s the best decision for me going forward.”
Elliott, Clemson’s running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator, said his star back has plenty of factors to consider.
“I think he’s one of the top tier guys in the country. He plays a position where the longevity is not great. You really wanna get as much money when you transition to the NFL on the front end, because you’re the least likely position to make a second contract,” Elliott said. “So he’s got a lot of things to think about, and it’s a very deep class. So I think the good thing is he doesn’t have to declare for a couple of days for now, so he doesn’t have to make a rushed decision.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 3:18 AM.
