Morning, y’all!

It’s Game Day Eve Eve! OK, I made that up.

But seriously, I’ve already got my bag packed for what looks to be a sweltering Saturday, complete with extra sunscreen.

One guy whose name we haven’t mentioned a ton this preseason is Nate Frazier — maybe because in the offseason and fall camp, we often gravitate toward question marks, and Frazier has led the Bulldogs in rushing the last two seasons.

But there’s one other way Georgia coach Kirby Smart sees Frazier’s game developing, and it could help give the Bulldogs a boost in an area that IS more of a question mark.

With Georgia having to replace receivers Zachariah Branch and Colbie Young, plus Cash Jones, who was a key piece for the team’s third-down packages, here’s how they’ll look to Frazier to step in:

“He’s becoming a weapon catching the ball out of the backfield,” Smart said. “That’s been a big focus for him. All in all, he’s worked really hard this camp.”

Frazier caught 16 passes for 116 yards last season, scoring a touchdown in Georgia’s regular-season win over Ole Miss. He added another 12 catches as a first-year player back in 2024.

Over those same two seasons, Jones combined for 44 receptions. He was also a trusted pass blocker for Gunner Stockton and Carson Beck.

That’s just as big a reason why he was so often Georgia’s go-to running back on third downs.

Frazier hopes he’s earned the same level of trust entering 2026. He’s well aware of his history with fumbles, but he’s confident he’s put in the work to earn the necessary belief that he can be an every-down option for Georgia.

“It’s just a certain demeanor you have to approach the game with. I feel like after a couple of games during the season, I don’t feel like I had that switch,” Frazier said. “I feel like toward the end of the season, I just turned that switch on. One of the things for me is I want to start with that switch on now. I don’t want to waste no time. That’s really what it was for me. I just had to turn the switch on.”

Georgia running back Nate Frazier (center) runs on his way to a touchdown against Charlotte in November in Athens. (Colin Hubbard/AP 2025)

Georgia running back Nate Frazier rushes for a 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter against Alabama in the SEC championship game in December in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC 2025)

Georgia's CJ Allen (left) and Nate Frazier (second from left) celebrate their SEC championship game victory over Alabama in December in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC 2025)

If Georgia opts to lean more on Frazier in the passing game, it can reduce the amount of hits he takes by leaning on Chauncey Bowens on early downs.

Both players battled injuries last season. Availability is going to go a long way in determining how big of a role the Georgia running backs carve out in the offense.

“It’s been a nonnegotiable for me, especially after that season, just to always be doing something to improve my body,” Bowens said. “Whether that’s stretching, whether that’s cold tub, hot tub — every single day it’s always something that I’m trying to implement into my routine.”

Bowens hopes to break tackles this season, not individual standards.

As for Frazier, he acknowledges that he has things he wants to accomplish this season.

But it’s not rooted in specific statistical benchmarks. Even if he becomes Georgia’s version of Christian McCaffrey, it won’t mean much to Frazier if Georgia doesn’t win.

“My goals for myself personally, I put those to the side and I don’t worry about the team goals, because I know if we get the team goals done, my personal goals, they gonna happen,” Frazier said. “So if we do what we have to do as a team, then my personal goals gonna happen, it’s team first, then me.”

Georgia clearly needs better versions of Frazier and Bowens this season if the Bulldogs are to have a better ending to the season.

Neither was on the field for the biggest play of last season, as Georgia turned to Jones for its pivotal third down on its penultimate offensive possession of the season. Georgia ended up coming up just short on that third down, leading to a field goal instead of a touchdown.

In 2026, the goal for both is to make sure Georgia can execute in those critical situations. Preferably with one of them on the field.

Read Connor Riley’s full story here.

Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens (right) runs after a catch during the G-Day spring game in April in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2026)

Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens (center) runs during a March practice in Athens. (Jackson Collier/UGAAA)

Chauncey Bowens takes part in the second day of spring practice in March in Athens. (DawgNation)

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Trivia time

Frazier’s career high in rushing is 181 yards. Can you name the game?

Georgia AG tells SEC to take ‘all measures available’ if LSU plays former pros

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is the latest player in the escalating saga of LSU’s attempt to allow former NFL players to join the Tigers’ football team.

Carr sent a letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday, writing that his office is prepared to “use all legal means necessary to protect the University of Georgia, student athletes, and the integrity of college athletics.”

Carr, per ESPN, has encouraged the SEC to take “all measures available” against LSU should the Tigers roster former NFL players this season, including removing or suspending LSU from the league.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin confirmed that Dae’Quan Wright, a tight end released by the Cleveland Browns, along with Junior Tuihalamaka, who played at Notre Dame last season, have been practicing with his team.

According to Kiffin, he met with LSU’s player leadership committee about adding those players, along with other players released by NFL teams, defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and defensive end Jack Pyburn.

Pyburn has since been claimed off waivers by Kansas City and will not attempt to return to the college ranks.

“Every one of them was emphatic about, ‘If they can help us win, bring ‘em,’” Kiffin told reporters Monday at his weekly news conference.

Former Oconee County star and current LSU senior linebacker Whit Weeks confirmed the meeting with Kiffin went down as the Tigers’ new coach suggested.

“(Kiffin) said if we don’t want them to come back and play, then they won’t come back,” Weeks said, per lsutigerswire.usatoday.com. “But we were, like, if that’s the rule, we might as well go ahead and take these guys.”

Louisiana state court Judge William Jorden issued a temporary restraining order Aug. 19 allowing a group of athletes, including players who signed NFL contracts, to pursue another year of collegiate eligibility.

The SEC responded Aug. 26 by joining the Big Ten in banning players who signed a professional contract or have been on a professional team from being on one of its conference members’ rosters.

Read Mike Griffith’s full story here.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin speaks during a news conference in February in Baton Rouge, La. (Hilary Scheinuk/AP 2026)

LSU coach Lane Kiffin fields questions after a practice Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (Michael Johnson/AP)

LSU coach Lane Kiffin watches his team during practice in March in Baton Rouge, La. (Javier Gallegos/AP 2026)

Georgia coach Kirby Smart (right) and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin embrace after the Bulldogs beat the Rebels 43-35 in October in Athens. (Colin Hubbard/AP 2025)

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Trivia answer

A 41-21 win vs. Mississippi State in 2025