This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football shares the strong backstory of Georgia freshman RB Nate Frazier. He finished his prep career rated as the nation’s No. 2 RB and the No. 49 overall prospect on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking also had him as the No. 2 RB and No. 48 overall.
Nate Frazier has had quite the fall.
The sort that’s gotten him noticed at every summer workout, practice and scrimmage the Georgia football program has had so far.
He moved to UGA in early June rated by the national recruiting services as the No. 2 RB in the nation. The irony there was Frazier wasn’t even the clear-cut starter for his powerhouse Mater Dei team (the mythical national champions for 2023) as a senior.
There were clear traces of the great D’Andre Swift in his game. That was the scouting report on Frazier coming in with his 10.5 speed in the 100 meters and an impressive work ethic.
He was also five feet, 11 inches and 207 pounds. That equated to a slightly bigger and slightly faster version of Swift. It remains to be seen if he had Swift’s suddenness, toughness and deadly dead leg.
There was the thought Frazier could rise to be a quality No. 3 RB this fall the same way Swift spelled Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in 2017. Nothing too outlandish for a true freshman.
Yet he’s somehow exceeding that buzz. He’s probably had to given the delicate nature of Florida transfer and preseason All-SEC pick Trevor Etienne’s status for the opener. There are also question marks surrounding the health (turf toe) of potential 2024 breakout Roderick Robinson and the head-turning early comeback from Branson Robinson from the devastating knee injury that wiped away his 2023 season.
When Frazier took to the grass, it seemed like he’d done something to impress somebody. Kirby Smart called him a “little ball of energy” earlier in fall camp. Standout guard Dylan Fairchild said that Frazier is always talking.
The Frazier stories are starting to pile up:
- He once told former running backs coach Dell McGee not to be surprised to see him commit. That’s not unusual save for the fact he shared that with McGee within the first hour of his first visit.
- There was the countdown clock he kept on his phone counting down the days of January, February, March, April and May until he reported to join his new team in Athens.
- When it came to his dreams, he said he always “put his head down working and let God work his magic” from that point.
- When he rewound his recruiting process, he never thought he’d be good enough to get the offer from Georgia. “I always tell people I never thought I’d be in the position that I am today, but God made it happen so I am so thankful for him.”
- His teammates told him to report to UGA in the best shape of his life or he’d fall behind. If not, the UGA summer workouts and grind would drown him. That’s what he did and his head has clearly been above water in fall camp.
- There was his reaction to a social media post that rolled off the highlights and names of former Georgia greats to wear the No. 3 jersey like Todd Gurley and Roquan Smith. He took that to heart and was keenly aware of what he had to represent while getting to wear that number in his true freshman season.
- Frazier grew up in Compton and South Central Los Angeles. Those neighborhoods were made famous by the classic 1991 John Singleton film “Boyz in the Hood.”
- There are quotes like this one that he shared with DawgNation before he signed with the Bulldogs last December: “I just want people to know don’t give up whatever you are going through,” he said. “The road is always not going to be dark. You are going to have some dark days. You are going to have some rainy days. You are going to have some sunny days. But no matter what, keep pushing through and make sure you be loyal to yourself and stand on loyalty and make sure you always keep your loved ones by your side because your family is going to have you no matter what is going on.”
- “The main thing I want you to tell the fans for me is they are not considered fans at all,” he said last December. “I’m not that type of person. I’m not a Hollywood person. I’m just as equal as them so I don’t consider them fans. Everybody at UGA who are fans of UGA football, I consider to bemy family. I don’t consider them fans at all under no circumstances. My message to them is I can’t wait to give you guys a show, light it up in Athens and Sanford Stadium and help us win another national championship. Try to get this threepeat championship for the three to four years I will be there. I can’t wait to see all those ladies and gentlemen and fans of Georgia football in person. I just appreciate them for cheering me on always under my Twitter comments and my Instagram posts. For all their love and support, I’m really appreciative of it.”
Those are good, but none would qualify as the best story we’ve heard about Frazier up to this point.
His commitment video from last fall can no longer be found online. He was kind enough to share that with DawgNation back in the spring.
Given his talent level and drive, we just had a hunch DawgNation would be keenly interested in seeing it again before the season opener against Clemson.
The best part? The words in his commitment video were not only the ones he said, but he also wrote them.
We’ve seen a lot of commitment videos over the years. This one is rare because it goes deeper than almost all of them.
Watch it.
It leads one to believe nobody will ever tell the Nate Frazier story better than he can.
Nate Frazier: The words he wrote for his commitment video
This passage is self-explanatory.
Check out the actual lines of the script from that video embedded above that was scored with a classic Nipsey Hussle track.
Perseverance. Time. Commitment. Dedication. Family.
Success is within reach of those who can see beyond the surface.
Every day I think of the what-ifs. What if I didn’t have football? What if there was no way out?
What if I didn’t grow a love beyond measure for the sport I can’t live without?
Growing up in South Central LA as a black young man wasn’t the best. You face a lot of obstacles, but God decided to make me a chosen one and build me to be Ford tough.
My journey started at six years old. A kid with passion, the heart of a lion and dreams to chase.
I knew I was more and wanted more than what society had to offer me.
I always knew love and family first.
That kind of love is sacred. Motivation to keep going. When I count my blessings, I count their love twice.
Through this expedition, I had my days where I wanted to throw in the towel.
It is not always sweet, but giving up is not an option for me. I see my story. I know I’m destined for greatness. I know I’m supposed to change the narrative.
I was given a blessing to change the trajectory of my family as well as the dynamics of who they say I’m supposed to be. Generational curses will not defy who I am and where I’m going. I will not be a statistic prospering in the steps of those greats who have paved the way for me.
I want to thank everyone who saw my greatness and fed me hunger with confidence. I want to thank those who saw my heart and pumped it with words of encouragement. I want to thank those who saw my doubt and reassured me I’m worth it.
Thank you.
With that being said, I’ll be furthering my education and developing my talent at the University of Georgia.
Go Dawgs.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
