ATHENS — Georgia tailback Trevor Etienne is getting “coached up” in the aftermath of his reckless driving and DUI arrest on Sunday morning.

UGA program sources confirmed Etienne was recently working one-on-one with an assistant pushing a weighted blocking sled during practice.

It had the look of extra conditioning, for ages effectively used within sports teams and military units as an inner-disciplinary measure.

Coach Kirby Smart came out in strong support of Etienne’s character at his Tuesday press conference, addressing the star running back’s arrest and the consequences to come after the Florida transfer’s well-documented traffic stop.

RELATED: Details of Trevor Etienne traffic stop, resulting arrest

“I think he is a great kid and a great person,” Smart said. “We have gotten to know his family. He enjoys being coached, and he is a bright kid. We push him hard out there, and he really loves the competition.”

There does indeed seem plenty of competition in the Bulldogs’ backfield when it comes to earning the starting tailback position along with snaps and carries.

Smart told a group of boosters recently that sophomore Roderick Robinson, listed at 6-foot, 240-pound, has only 7-percent body fat.

Robinson, sources said, had a notable run in a recent scrimmage through the tackle attempt of freshman KJ Bolden, who got a lesson in trying to tackle high.

The spirited competition taking place in the Bulldogs’ program — and the special attention Etienne is receiving — will continue through spring drills leading up to George’s annual G-Day Game on April 13 is fast approaching.

If there was one area the 5-9, 205-pound Etienne did need the extra work, per those who covered him at Florida, it was developing more power to break tackles and finish runs falling forward.

“It’s a teaching moment,” Smart said of the challenging extra work Etienne has ahead in the aftermath of this off-field issue, “and we think he gets better from it.”

The Georgia backfield could be counted on more this season as the Bulldogs lost three of their top four pass catchers, including projected first round picks Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.