Why Kirby Smart Should Bench Georgia Football RB Nate Frazier

Sep 19, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier (3) runs with the ball against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first halfat Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sometimes playing it safe is the best way to play it, and Kirby Smart and his staff may deem that is the play for the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend. 

Georgia’s starting running back, Nate Frazier, was dinged up against Arkansas two Saturdays ago and didn’t return to the game once he suffered a lower leg injury. Smart said in the postgame interview that he thought Frazier was fine and that he could have returned to the game if they needed him to. Amidst a blowout, the Dawgs were fine without Frazier. 

There wasn’t much of an update until the SEC Student Athlete Availability Report dropped last Wednesday evening. Frazier was listed as “questionable” to play against the Oklahoma Sooners. The morning of the game on Saturday, he was listed as a game-time decision. Ultimately, he didn’t play after suiting up and being a limited participant in Georgia’s warmups. 

For the second straight week, Frazier has been given the questionable tag ahead of the matchup against the Vanderbilt Commodores. 

The Take: Georgia Should Keep Frazier on the Bench Unless he is 100%

Players take on injury tolls throughout the year and many of them will tell you that they are not 100% once the season starts. Unless Frazier is in preseason form, the Dawgs should sit him again. 

Georgia just obliterated Oklahoma with Frazier off the field. They should have an even easier time against Vanderbilt. They don’t need their starting running back to win this game. 

Chauncey Bowens and Dwight Phillips Jr. have manned the backfield just fine in his absence. Bowens has scored five touchdowns over the last two contests and Phillips Jr. finally had a signature moment with a 54-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma. 

Smart has said a handful of times now that Phillips Jr. has been Georgia’s most explosive player and that they need to figure out how to get him the ball more. Sitting Frazier and letting him rest one more week is a great way to get him more game reps.

The Dawgs have to go to Tuscaloosa next weekend. They will be far better off if they can deploy a further rested Frazier. 

Now, we don’t know the details of his injury. Smart has been extremely vague and avoidant in answering questions about that. He could be just fine and plays this weekend. If he is not 100%, they should sit him.