Georgia Running Back Nate Frazier Recalls Early Growing Pains of His Career

Georgia running back Nate Frazier recalls the early growing pains he endured at the beginning of his college career.

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier (3) celebrates his touchdown against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half of the game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Nate Frazier is a household name around the University of Georgia. The rising junior running back has emerged as a star and is expected to be a focal point of the Bulldogs' offense after a strong sophomore campaign.

Though it hasn't always been that way for Frazier. Coming into the 2025 season, Frazier was the starting running back for Georgia. Going into the 2024 season, Frazier had to earn his stripes at practice and gain the trust of the coaching staff.

Frazier's college career got off to a hot start. Running back Trevor Etienne was suspended for the first game of the season against Clemson, and with other backs dealing with injuries, Georgia had to call upon the true freshman from California to carry the load in his first-ever college game.

He finished the game with 11 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown while averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He was the only running back to receive double-digit carries in that game and it looked like a star was being born in Athens.

Frazier wouldn't earn 10 or more carries in a game again until four games after opening week. The young Georgia running back had gone from cloud nine back to ground zero, and on the "I Am Athlete" podcast, Frazier said it was a very tough process for him.

Nate Frazier Explains Early Growing Pains He Endured at Georgia

Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier (3) carries the ball against the Mississippi Rebels in the second quarter during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"Oh my gosh, Nate Frazier this, Nate Frazier that, a touchdown, a hundred yards," Frazier said. "I'm on top of the world. I'm most definitely about to go stupid this year. I got humbled quick. Next week, we play Tennessee Tech. I don't really touch the field until the second quarter. In my head I am thinking, damn you serious? Then we play Kentucky and I had two carries that game. In my head, I am thinking, I don't really know what else I can do. I'm practicing hard, I'm doing everything I can to touch the field. What am I possibly doing wrong? I feel like I am doing everything right..... And then we play [Alabama], I didn't touch the field. I didn't play a snap."

It was a rough time for Frazier. He had gone from looking like the next star at Georgia, and one of the next great backs, to barely seeing the field at all as a true freshman.

"In that moment, I am thinking, bro I am done. But I had to really look at myself in the mirror and be a man. Like Nate, what do you need to fix to see the field. It can't just be the coaches. It's something the coaches are seeing that you're not seeing."

Frazier goes on to talk about how he went back and looked at some of the practices leading up to the Alabama game. He recalled a Tuesday practice, also known as "Bloody Tuesdays" at Georgia, and that he fumbled four times in a single practice that week. In that moment, Frazier said it forced him to sit back, relax and learn.

One thing to know about Frazier is that he was not an early enrollee coming out of high school. He didn't arrive at Georgia until June before his freshman season. So, as Frazier mentions in the interview, he had only been on campus for a few months prior to the Alabama game.

Frazier would go on to finish the season with 671 yards and eight touchdowns as a true freshman, and despite his early frustrations, he stayed the course and waited for his turn. In 2025, it was Frazier's turn to take over the spotlight. But even after reaching the top, another bump in the road came Frazier's way.

Against Alabama in Sanford Stadium, Frazier fumbled the ball inside the Bulldogs' red zone. Alabama would recover the fumble, score on the ensuing drive, and go on to win by a score of 24-21. Frazier was then placed on the sideline for the remainder of the game, and he could do nothing but watch from the bench.

That moment though helped cultivate the successful season Frazier ended up turning in during the 2025 season.

"That [fumble] happened, and it just turned a switch on for me. I started going to meetings with a ball in my hand. Every single meeting," said Frazier. "I was doing anything I could do to prevent this damn ball from coming out of my hand. Because that feeling I had in that game, I don't ever want to feel that again."

Frazier finished his sophomore season with 173 carries, 947 yards and six touchdowns. Now, heading into the 2026 season, as one of the most beloved and important players on Georgia's offense.