Georgia RB Nate Frazier clears air on transfer rumors: ‘I bleed red and black’
ATHENS — Nate Frazier saw the rumors about him possibly leaving Georgia and playing elsewhere.
While Bulldogs fans stressed during the January transfer portal window over whether their leading rusher had a wandering eye, Frazier had to get away from social media. That fueled the idea he was intending to transfer.
“It’s just rumors,” Frazier said. “So, I just turned off the phone and just got back to work. You know, other opportunities, I know this is where I’m supposed to be. I love this place. I already know I don’t belong nowhere else. I feel like at this point, I’ve showed everybody I bleed red and black.”
Frazier didn’t enter the transfer portal, ensuring the Bulldogs would bring back the talented tailback for another season.
He led Georgia last season with 947 rushing yards while scoring six touchdowns. He did that despite an early-season issue with fumbling, which also plagued him as a freshman.
After the Alabama game Sept. 27, Frazier did not put the ball on the ground again. In 2026, he’s working with new Georgia assistant running backs coach Robert Edwards — a former Bulldogs tailback who had his own issues with fumbles — to ensure that issue gets left in the past.
“I’m very pleased with where Nate is,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I’m happy with his progress. I’m happy with that room’s progress. We gotta break some more tackles in there, and we gotta find some guys that can play on third down.”
Frazier racked up 173 carries last season, with his last one forcing him out of Georgia’s College Football Playoff loss to Ole Miss.
Georgia will want to divide some of Frazier’s workload while hoping he produces at an even greater clip. Chauncey Bowens will help lighten the load, as he, too, returns for another season.
The two running backs complement each other well.
“I just think he’s extremely explosive, real twitchy, can definitely hurt you in a bunch of different ways, and get outside of you,” Bowens said of Frazier. “And once he does that, I mean, he’s gone. Like, you’re not catching him.”
In addition to becoming a better running back and helping on third down, Frazier said he wants to improve as a leader. Be it Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, D’Andre Swift and even Edwards and Garrison Hearst, Frazier knows Georgia’s best running backs have also carried the mantle as far as setting the standard.
“I want to really prove that to my teammates and to the people around that I’m a great leader,” he said. “I’m somebody that can be counted on. I want to lead by example.
“I know as a Year 3, for a dude that is more so knowing they have a chance and opportunity to go to the National Football League, it gets to a point where they’re more so selfish and focus on themself and their goals. But my Year 3, I want to show my teammates and the people around me that I want to be better together as a team.”
One off-field challenge Frazier has taken on is raising a puppy. He recently adopted a French bulldog named Dane. Like anyone, Frazier is having his ups and downs when it comes to potty training.
It’s a lot to balance when factoring in all he will be asked to do on the football field this fall. He needs to become an explosive runner while picking up opposing blitzers on third down.
But Frazier knows what he signed up for, both in raising a puppy and leading the running back room.
“I want to just get better as a leader, showing people by example what needs to be done here and how you carry yourself as a Georgia Bulldog,” he said. “Showing that you can push through adversity. Anything that you’re going through, as long as you have a great mindset and got God by your side.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
