It's all good. We 've spent thousands of pages ripping on all of the bad decisions the Gators make, so your post was a bit confusing.
The larger point is the important one. Slingblade Billy imported a ton of corches from Louisiana, and several players too. And whether favoritism is real or imagined, it has an impact on the team. The OL that Billy brought from Louisiana played pretty well. And while one can argue that Montrell Johnson has been good too, he certainly hasn't been "so good" that he has clearly beaten out Etienne.
Your point about Etienne's stats is a good one as it relates to showing that both players were pretty decent and comparable. For Slingblade Billy to favor Montrell Johnson with more starts and touches...well, it's something that Etienne felt was never going to change.
Anyhow, all's well that ends well. I think that Slingblade Billy has lost a ton of his own recruits over the past 2 years, and that's not good sign for 2024.