Etienne excelled in the SEC without a primary role. At Florida, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry as a freshman, earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors. In his sophomore year, he had 131 carries for 753 yards and 21 catches for 172 yards. Transferring to Georgia in 2024, he became a key offensive asset despite sharing the backfield with freshman Nate Frazier. While his yardage dropped to 609, his touchdowns and third-down reliability improved.