Kirby Smart calls out Nate Frazier for Gator Chomp celebration, penalty vs. Florida

The Georgia Bulldogs were trailing their rival Florida Gators when freshman running back Nate Frazier found the end zone for a score. That’s when he popped up, celebrating with a Gator Chomp and an apparent throat slash, earning an unsportsmanlike penalty in the process.

Following the play, head coach Kirby Smart could be seen getting in Nate Frazier’s face, letting him know what he felt about the penalty. After the game, Smart again took the time to call out that celebration and the penalty.

“Just told him, ‘Don’t be stupid, man. We’re not selfish people at Georgia. We don’t, I mean, I’m not interested in all the shenanigans. We’re meat and potatoes. We roll our sleeves up, we go to work every day. I’m not interested in you gator-chomping and throat-slashing.’ It’s not respectful,” Kirby Smart said. “I mean, I want to be respectful of the game and the people we play. And I think the best way to attack somebody is beat them.”

Nate Frazier came to Georgia as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024 out of Mater Dei in California, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was also the 49th-ranked player nationally and the second-ranked running back in that recruiting cycle.

Georgia running back Trevor Etienne left the game early, needing to return to the locker room with an apparent injury. That was later described as a rib injury and Etienne attempted to come back and play but was unable to do so. After that, Kirby Smart was forced to turn to Nate Frazier for the majority of the running back reps for the rest of the comeback win against Georgia.

“I mean, he’s immature. He’s young,” Smart said. “Nate’s a great kid. He’s a super talent and he wants to do well. He didn’t do it with the intent of getting a penalty. You gotta act like you’ve been there and he ain’t been there enough.”

Thanks to the penalty, Georgia would be backed up on the kickoff, and gave the Gators good field position. However, at the end of the day, the Bulldogs were still able to come away with a 34-20 win.

Nate Frazier ended the day with 19 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. That led the Bulldogs in rushing for the game. In fact, it accounted for more than half of the team’s rushing production for the entire game. It was the most production Frazier has had this season since the opening win over the Clemson Tigers.