Georgia running back Trevor Etienne will miss his team’s season-opener this afternoon against Clemson as a result of a DUI and reckless driving arrest in the spring, according to multiple reports.
Etienne received 12 months of probation after a March 24 arrest on charges of DUI, reckless driving and three other misdemeanors.
The DUI charge was later dropped as part of a plea agreement, with Etienne pleading no contest to reckless driving and guilty to underage possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and a window-tint violation.
In addition to probation, Etienne was fined $852 and ordered to complete a substance abuse evaluation, 40 hours of community service and an alcohol risk reduction violation.
Georgia athletic department policy would have required Etienne to miss 10 percent of the top-seeded Bulldogs’ season or at least one game, if guilty of DUI.
When asked on Monday, coach Kirby Smart declined to say how the plea agreement affected that.
The Bulldogs are also missing running back Roderick Robinson II after surgery for turf toe.
That means Branson Robinson, Nate Frazier and walk-on Cash Jones will be in line for snaps in the backfield in the much-ballyhooed opener against Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.
Etienne’s older brother, Travis, is a Clemson alumnus and was a key part of the Tigers’ perennial playoff teams while in college.
Trevor Etienne transferred to Georgia from Florida in January.
He ran for 753 yards and scored eight touchdowns with the Gators last season.