Georgia Bulldogs star All-SEC running back Nate Frazier has a heavy heart entering the 2026 college football season. In March, Frazier’s dad tragically passed away.
Frazier is entering a career-defining junior season at Georgia. He’ll look to be Georgia’s first 1,000-yard rusher since D’Andre Swift and return Georgia to the College Football Playoff. However, all of that takes a backseat when one of your parents passes away.
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“He’s (Nate Frazier) a tremendous young man,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s really close with his mother and respects his dad so much. The loss of his father was impactful on him.
“We have a tremendous mental health staff here. University of Georgia Athletics support that piece, and we have numerous people that our players can reach out to.”
Smart went on to praise Georgia’s Brad Hamburg and Thomas Settles. Coach Mark Richt brought on Settles, who Smart compliments for being “as caring as he is about the players” in the UGA program. Settles helps Georgia’s players with grief, injuries and more of life’s challenges.
Smart has dealt with some grief of his own. His father, Sonny, passed away before Georgia’s Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame to conclude the 2025 college football season.
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In a social media post shortly after hearing the news about his father, Frazier shared that he will be thinking of his dad during the games he plays this fall.
“When I get in that box on game days it’s gone hit different cause I know I’m kissing up to you now as well,” Frazier said. Frazier has had some memorable moments looking to the sky after scoring including when he scored the winning points in Georgia’s eight overtime win over Georgia Tech.
“I’m going to try my hardest to walk around with a smile on my face like I know you wanted,” Frazier added. The Georgia community should try its best to be supportive of Frazier this season.
The former elite recruit is feeling the support from the Georgia program.
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“They’ve been here every step of the way,” Frazier said in a recent interview. “They don’t let me walk around this facility with my head down. They lift me up, they hug me. Some people even wiped tears off my face.
“And that was one of the main reasons I came to this place. They just don’t care about what you do in the field. They care about you as a person.”
Nate Frazier remembers his father
“Love you pops,” Frazier said to conclude his post.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Why Georgia RB Nate Frazier is playing with a heavy heart