ATHENS — Georgia running back Nate Frazier knows he had a good year.
He ran for a team-high 947 yards while scoring six touchdowns. He showed real improvement in his second season with the program, especially after overcoming some fumbling issues that cost him playing time in Georgia’s lone regular-season loss against Alabama.
“I’m going to sit here and think about what can I do to prevent this from ever happening again,” Frazier said prior to 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.”
Georgia is counting on Frazier improving once again in 2026, as he figures to be one of the faces of the program.
The Bulldogs have serious questions when it comes to their passing game, as they have to replace six of their top seven pass catchers from last season.
Frazier knows that will put even more of an onus on the Georgia rushing attack to dominate.
Georgia ranked fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game last season. In addition to bringing back Frazier, the Bulldogs also saw running back Chauncey Bowens return for the 2026 season.
Georgia does have to replace Josh McCray and Cash Jones, leaving a valuable third-down role to be filled.
If Frazier can successfully fill that role, Georgia has the chance to improve even further when it comes to running the football.
“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.”
For as much as Frazier improved in 2025, the season did not end how he wanted. The Bulldogs lost to Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. Frazier exited the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury that prevented him from finishing the game.
Perhaps if he hadn’t gotten hurt, maybe Georgia’s season would’ve lasted a little longer.
Frazier isn’t focused on the past, even though he’s a strong student of Georgia’s running back history. He knows the greats from Herschel Walker to Todd Gurley to James Cook.
With another strong season, Frazier hopes he can be mentioned in the same breath as those that have played the position before him.
He knows it will take hard work to get there. But the rising junior has shown he’s more than capable of doing difficult things during his time in Athens.
“I got a long way to go to get to that, but no, man, it’s definitely been one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Frazier said. “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.”
