ATHENS — As if Nate Frazier didn’t have enough on his plate entering his junior season at Georgia, the star running back decided he wanted to adopt a dog.

In the midst of spring practice, while handling all the duties that are required of a Georgia football player, Frazier is trying to potty train a French Bulldog named Dane.

“It’s not as easy as it looks being a dog dad," Frazier said. “Especially, you know, being here doing football things and trying to maintain all the other things I got going on. It’s not easy. But, man, he keeps me up and going for sure.”

It’s a big year for Frazier, as he returns as Georgia’s leading rusher. He acknowledged the idea that most players of his caliber have one foot out the door with their eyes on the NFL.

Frazier led Georgia in rushing last season while earning Third Team All-SEC honors. With Cash Jones gone, he’s got the chance to carve out an even bigger role in Georgia’s offense when it comes to third down.

Frazier led Georgia last season with 947 rushing yards while scoring six touchdowns. He did that despite an early-season issue with fumbling, which also plagued him as a freshman.

After the Alabama game Sept. 27, Frazier did not put the ball on the ground again. In 2026, he’s working with new Georgia assistant running backs coach Robert Edwards — a former Bulldogs tailback who had his own issues with fumbles — to ensure that issue gets left in the past.

“I’m very pleased with where Nate is,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I’m happy with his progress. I’m happy with that room’s progress. We gotta break some more tackles in there, and we gotta find some guys that can play on third down.”

Frazier racked up 173 carries last season, with his last one forcing him out of Georgia’s College Football Playoff loss to Ole Miss.

Georgia will want to divide some of Frazier’s workload while hoping he produces at an even greater clip. Chauncey Bowens will help lighten the load, as he, too, returns for another season.

The two running backs complement each other well.

“I just think he’s extremely explosive, real twitchy, can definitely hurt you in a bunch of different ways, and get outside of you,” Bowens said of Frazier. “And once he does that, I mean, he’s gone. Like, you’re not catching him.”

Frazier acknowledged the speculation around him possibly entering the transfer portal following the 2025 season. The running back in the transfer portal became very volatile, highlighted by Alabama landing NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers, only to sign him flip to Texas.

While Bulldogs fans stressed during the January transfer portal window over whether their leading rusher had a wandering eye, Frazier had to get away from social media. That fueled the idea he was intending to transfer.

“It’s just rumors,” Frazier said. “So, I just turned off the phone and just got back to work. You know, other opportunities, I know this is where I’m supposed to be. I love this place. I already know I don’t belong nowhere else. I feel like at this point, I’ve showed everybody I bleed red and black.”

Frazier didn’t enter the transfer portal, ensuring the Bulldogs would bring back the talented tailback for another season.

When asked about Frazier wanted to prove in his third season, Frazier made it clear his biggest strides have to come as a leader. Be it Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, D’Andre Swift and even Edwards and Garrison Hearst, Frazier knows Georgia’s best running backs have also carried themantle as far as setting the standard.

“I want to really prove that to my teammates and to the people around that I’m a great leader,” he said. “I’m somebody that can be counted on. I want to lead by example.

“I know as a Year 3, for a dude that is more so knowing they have a chance and opportunity to go to the National Football League, it gets to a point where they’re more so selfish and focus on themself and their goals. But my Year 3, I want to show my teammates and the people around me that I want to be better together as a team.”

It’s a lot to balance when factoring in all will be asked to do on the football field this fall. He needs to become an explosive runner while picking up opposing blitzers on third down.

But Frazier knows what he signed up for, both in raising a puppy and leading the running back room.

“I want to just get better as a leader, showing people by example what needs to be done here and how you carry yourself as a Georgia Bulldog,” he said. “Showing that you can push through adversity. Anything that you’re going through, as long as you have a great mindset and got God by your side.”