Any time a college football player has an opportunity to close out his career with a national championship, it’s a special moment.

Even more so if they do it with back-to-back national championships. While Clemson junior RB Travis Etienne has not yet officially declared for the 2020 NFL Draft, there is a very real possibility that he will be playing in his final game on Monday night. And as if there were not enough reasons for this to be a storybook ending to Etienne’s college football career, it will also be against a team from his home state of Louisiana.

As a 4-star running back out of Jennings, Louisiana, LSU pursued Etienne heavily in the Class of 2017. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron even lamented in the lead-up to the game on the fact that the Tigers let him get away.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Etienne made it clear how much it would mean to him to claim victory over LSU in the College Football Playoff title game.

 

“It’s also a unique opportunity in itself being a kid from Louisiana, getting to play in the Superdome against a home-state team for a national championship” said Etienne.

“You couldn’t have scripted this up any better, but just have to go out there and take care of business.”

As LSU rides the hot hand of Ohio native, Heisman-winning QB Joe Burrow, Etienne will lead his Clemson Tigers in a title game in his home state, against a school just over 90 miles from his hometown. Etienne has compiled over 1,500 rush yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in what could be his final year in the college football ranks.

A storybook ending, indeed.