Georgia enters the 2026 season with all the pieces to have a strong rushing offense.

The Bulldogs return leading rusher Nate Frazier, as he enters his third season in the program. Quarterback Gunner Stockton is a mobile threat as well, scoring 10 rushing touchdowns in 2025.

Georgia should have a strong offensive line, as four players with starting experience return from last season’s offensive line.

With questions existing about the Georgia passing game, expect the Bulldogs to once again lean on their ground attack. Having a star running back like Frazier, who was voted Third Team All-SEC last season, may make that obvious.

But if the Georgia rushing attack is to power the team’s offense in 2026, it can’t rely all on the ability of its top rusher in Frazier.

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Georgia has some proven depth behind the junior running back.

Chauncey Bowens returns this season after finishing second on the team in rushing last season with 503 yards. Like Frazier, he also scored 6 touchdowns.

Dwight Phillips Jr. was one of the stars of spring practice for Georgia, as he consistently used his speed to break explosive runs. That will be needed this coming fall, especially as Georgia has placed an emphasis on being a more explosive offense.

The Bulldogs had just 16 runs of 20-plus yards last season, ranking 67th in the country. Georgia’s 4.4 yards per carry ranked only marginally better at 64th in the nation.

Even with returning players, Georgia still dipped into the transfer portal to bolster its running back room this offseason. The Bulldogs signed Jae Lamar and Nick Peal as high school recruits, while they dipped into the transfer portal to land Kentucky transfer Dante Dowdell.

Dowdell is expected to give a little bit more than what the Bulldogs got out of Illinois transfer Josh McCray last season. Dowdell impressed in Georgia’s spring game, giving the Bulldogs another weapon out of the backfield.

“Add quarterback Gunner Stockton‘s designed runs to the mix, and this is a scary group,” Blake Brockmeyer of CBS Sports said.

Stockton had 462 rushing yards last season and that factors in sacks. Stockton was at his best in the red zone, giving Georgia an additional weapon near the goal line.

With the specter of a long season, Georgia will want to limit the amount of hits its quarterback takes over the course of the season.

The same can likely be said for Frazier. He had 173 rushing attempts last season, the most by a Georgia running back since D’Andre Swift in 2019.

That season was also the last time a running back topped 1,000 rushing yards.

As Frazier enters his third season in Athens, he knows expectations are high for him as an individual.

“Nate Frazier returns as the alpha after averaging nearly 5.5 yards per carry while producing 17 explosive runs in 2025,” Brockmeyer said. “Frazier loves to run downhill, sets up his blocks well and finished with more than 551 rushing yards after contact. He is also a threat as a receiver.”

Georgia will want to see Frazier have more performances like he did against Mississippi State, when he turned 13 carries into 181 rushing yards. Frazier showed that day that he could be the explosive running back the Bulldogs so very much need this coming season.

The Bulldogs have plenty of other running backs it can lean on to grind out yards and carries over the course of the 2026 season. It’s worth noting that Frazier suffered an ankle injury against Ole Miss that prevented him from finishing the College Football Playoff loss.

If Georgia is to go on a deeper run this season, it will count on Frazier to carry them there. But Frazier and the Georgia rushing offense are going to need their depth in the running back room to get the Bulldogs deep into the season.