ATHENS — Georgia used to be a place where running backs could come in a make a noticeable impact immediately.
From 2012 to 2017, Georgia had seven different running backs come in as true freshmen and run for at least 350 yards in their first year. That was the end of the Mark Richt era and the early days of Kirby Smart’s time in Athens.
But since the start of the 2018 season, Smart’s third in Athens, no Georgia freshman running back has topped 350 yards in their first season in Athens.
That drought is what makes the strong start by freshman Nate Frazier all the more interesting to watch.
Especially given he wasn’t around for spring practice.
“He’s got a lot to learn,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday. “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. 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.”
Frazier was the highest-rated running back of Georgia’s three signees in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He was the No. 49 overall player in the 2024 class. He’s the highest-ranked running back recruit Georgia has signed out of high school since the Bulldogs inked Kendall Milton, who was the No. 49 overall player in the 2020 class.
Like Milton, Frazier came from the state of California. Frazier played for the storied Mater Dei program, which has produced the likes of Bryce Young and Matt Lienart.
Frazier’s speed and energy are noticeably different from everyone else in the Georgia running back room, including transfer Trevor Etienne. Frazier drew rave reviews in his first practice and continued that through his first scrimmage.
“He’s a freshman of course but everybody is here for a reason,” linebacker Jalon Walker said. “Everybody plays football for a reason. I feel like both of those guys, really the whole running back room is talented.”
Frazier’s emergence, paired with the return of Branson Robinson, has created a strong sense of optimism for this running back room. Even with the status of Etienne uncertain following his offseason driving arrest. Smart was asked about Etienne’s status for the opener during Tuesday’s press conference but did not give an answer on the matter.
If Etienne doesn’t play, it gives Frazier an even greater opportunity to contribute right away.
“He’s certainly a guy that’s trying hard to learn to understand,” Smart said. “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. Who is he reading? Who is he looking at? What are his steps? What does he have to do in protection?”
Smart spent a part of his press conference e speaking about the importance of an explosive running game. Frazier’s athletic gifts figure to help Georgia in that regard, another area they’ve been lacking in of late.
The Bulldogs ranked ninth in the country last year in runs of 10 yards or more, finishing with 90 on the season. But the Bulldogs drop to 40th in runs of 20 yards or more. Georgia had only 20 runs of that distance.
“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,” Smart said. " I hope that we’re more capable of longer explosives so that when we get through to 10-12, we can turn those into 40-50 and not 20-30 yard plays.”
The early play of Frazier could well help Georgia be an explosive rushing offense again. And if Frazier is able to rip off those long runs, he should breeze past the 350-yard mark that the likes of D’Andre Swift, Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley all did as freshmen for Georgia.
