Nate Frazier looking like contributor in exciting, explosive running back room

ATHENS, Ga. — Excitement surrounds Georgia running back Nate Frazier, and it’s been among the consistent themes of fall camp. Combined with the return of Branson Robinson from a season-ending injury this time last year, Frazier has helped provide a reason for folks to be high on the Bulldog backfield.

The California native ranked as the nation’s No. 2 running back and No. 49 overall player in the Class of 2024 per the On3 Industry Ranking. Unlike most freshmen these days – especially those at the top of the class – Frazier didn’t early enroll. Instead, he finished out his time at Mater Dei High School and arrived in Athens in May. Since then though, he’s been hard at work, readying himself to make an immediate impact.

“He’s certainly a guy that’s trying hard to learn to understand. I don’t think he’s ever had the detail of, ‘On this run, this is your key.’ He just gets the ball and runs and there’s a lot to our blocking schemes,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said when asked about Frazier. “Who is he reading? Who is he looking at? What are his steps? What does he have to do in protection? He’s got a lot to learn. He didn’t go through spring so his spring is now. His spring was in the summer. He’s got a lot of catching up to do.”

Smart’s comments are consistent with his temperament on Tuesday. Having seen Georgia in action this past Saturday during the team’s first scrimmage of the fall, Smart was adamant that the Bulldogs had a long way to go. Frazier finds himself among a crowd that must continue to develop in order to provide depth.

Frazier’s not likely to be the bell cow running back this fall with Florida transfer and First-Team All-SEC selection Trevor Etienne in the backfield. Roderick Robinson brings more experience to the table and put together an impressive spring. Then there’s Branson Robinson who was a contributor in 2022 and was expected to be a big part of the plan last season before his injury. Still, even as a freshman, Frazier certainly has the ability to carry some of the load.

“He is an explosive kid. He’s got good track times. He’s got good speed. He’s got great toughness. He’s a little ball of energy,” Smart said. “There are a bunch of guys in that room that are doing a great job. Chauncey (Bowens) is going do a great job, young kids, Dwight (Phillips) is doing a good job. Those guys are all doing a great job and we need them to help us this year.”

Smart is optimistic about the running back room. If the buzz that has surrounded the running backs is true, they likely would be lower on his list of position groups he’s concerned about the depth. And based on his comments Tuesday, it sounds as if he’s hopeful this year’s group can help return Georgia to an explosive team on the ground on top of their big play ability through the air.

“That room has been really good in camp. They’ve worked really hard,” Smart said about the running back room as a whole. “Cash (Jones) is a guy they just don’t give enough credit to. He’s great at picking things up. I feel like Trevor is the leader of the room and understands things. He does a really good job of setting the tempo and setting the standard. Branson has been great. Roderick has been dealing with a little bit of a toe injury that he’s dealing with. And then the three freshman. We’re looking forward to getting all of those guys ready to go.”  

“We do have a lot of 10 to 12-yard runs, but we didn’t have the home runs, the long runs that historically we’ve had, which are another category of explosive – more explosive. It’s something that we pride ourselves on,” he added. “… We’ve been more explosive passing the ball in the last two years than previous years. A lot of that has to do with the skill players, has to do with the quarterback, has to do with how the coordinator calls the game. But we certainly need to be explosive in both. I think we’ve got the backs to be an explosive run team, we’ve got the perimeter blockers to be an explosive run team, and we’ve got the offensive line to be an explosive run team. I hope that we’re more capable of longer explosives, meaning when we get through there to 10 to 12, we can turn those into 40-50 and not 20–30-yard plays.”