Nate Frazier Embracing Bigger Role as Georgia Leans on Ground Game in 2026
ATHENS - Nate Frazier knows what it means to carry the rock at Georgia. The names that came before him-Herschel Walker, Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb, James Cook-aren’t just legends in Athens.
They’re the standard. And after a breakout sophomore campaign, Frazier is starting to look like the next Bulldog back ready to etch his name into that elite company.
Frazier led Georgia in rushing last season with 947 yards and six touchdowns, showcasing real growth in year two. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. A costly fumble in the regular-season loss to Alabama briefly knocked him out of the rotation, forcing him to take a hard look at his game.
“I’m going to sit here and think about what can I do to prevent this from ever happening again,” Frazier said before the Sugar Bowl. “So that’s what I did, and I’m still working and still trying to see what I can do to get better at it, because there’s always room for improvement.”
That mindset-owning the mistakes and putting in the work to fix them-is exactly what Georgia needs from its lead back heading into 2026.
Because let’s be honest: the Bulldogs are going to need Frazier more than ever.
Georgia’s passing game is in a bit of a reset. Six of the team’s top seven pass catchers from last season are gone, and that puts even more weight on the shoulders of the run game to carry the load early.
Frazier isn’t shying away from that challenge. If anything, he’s leaning into it.
“One thing I’ve known and I’ve seen throughout my two years of college football is the majority of times a team that has the most rushing yards in a football game wins the game,” Frazier said. “If you can run the ball and stop the run - that’s something that Coach Smart has been emphasizing a lot during this season.
If you can run the ball and stop the run, you have a higher chance of winning the game. It’s really a big deal for sure.”
Georgia finished fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game last season, and with Frazier returning alongside Chauncey Bowens, the Bulldogs have a strong one-two punch in the backfield. But they’ll need more. Josh McCray and Cash Jones are gone, leaving a key third-down role up for grabs-one that Frazier could slide into if he continues to expand his game.
That’s the next step for him: becoming a complete back. He’s got the vision, the burst, and the toughness to grind out tough yards. But if he can add more pass protection reps and become a reliable option in the screen game, he could be the kind of every-down weapon Georgia leans on week in and week out.
Last season ended on a sour note for Frazier. He exited Georgia’s College Football Playoff loss to Ole Miss in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, unable to finish what he started.
There’s no telling how that game might’ve played out if he’d stayed healthy. But Frazier isn’t dwelling on the “what ifs.”
He’s focused on what’s next.
“I got a long way to go to get to that,” Frazier said, when asked about joining the ranks of Georgia’s all-time great running backs. “But no, man, it’s definitely been one of the greatest experiences of my life.
You know, I’m blessed and very humbled and thankful to be a part of something like this at this prestigious university. So you know, going day by day and month by month, you know, just trying to get better, just trying to figure out what I can do to be on that type of level with those guys.”
That’s the kind of hunger you want from your lead back-especially when your offense is in transition.
Georgia has questions to answer in the passing game, but in Frazier, they’ve got a steady hand in the backfield. A player who’s already proven he can bounce back from adversity, who understands the weight of the jersey he’s wearing, and who’s ready to shoulder even more of the load in 2026.
If he takes another step forward this fall, don’t be surprised if Nate Frazier’s name starts getting mentioned alongside the greats he grew up watching.