UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Raves About Freshman Running Back
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ATHENS - It’s pretty clear that Kirby Smart really likes his running backs.
Even after losing quality backs like Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards, new running backs coach Josh Crawford has a big, talented group of backs able to make a large impact this fall.
Milton and Edwards were Georgia’s leading rushers last season, so with both off to the NFL, Smart went to the transfer portal to acquire former Florida Gators running back, Trevor Etienne.
An experienced, crafty runner with impressive burst and the ability to break tackles down the field, Etienne transferred to Georgia to win a national title and be the lead back along the way.
He’s a guy who should play a lot this year, and Smart talked about that with reporters this week.
“I feel like Trevor's [Etienne] the leader of the room and understands things and does a really good job of setting the tempo and setting the standard.”
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Then there’s Branson Robinson. A promising freshman during Georgia’s 2022 national championship run, Robinson is a bowling ball of a back at 5-foot-10 220-pounds who missed the entirety of last season due to a knee injury last summer. Now, Robinson appears to be closer and closer to being 100%. Once he is, he’ll absolutely see some carries come his way.
Second-year back Roderick Robinson flashed some last year, ending the season on a high note with an impressive game against Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Of course, there’s also Cash Jones and three freshman backs who are ready to impress.
According to Smart, one of them already has.
“He (Nate Frazier) is certainly a guy that's trying hard to learn, to understand”, Smart said about his freshman back. “I don't think he's ever had the detail of, on this run, this is your key. He gets the ball and runs, and there's a lot to our blocking schemes in terms of who is he reading, who is he looking at, what are his steps, what does he have to do in protection. He's got a lot to learn in terms of that because he didn't go through spring. So, his spring is now. His spring was in the summer. So, he's got a lot of catching up to do.”
“He is an explosive kid,” Smart added. “He's got good track times, he's got good speed, he's got great toughness, and he's a little ball of energy. But there's a bunch of guys in that room that are doing a great job. Chauncey [Bowens] is doing a great job. The young kids, Dwight’s [Phillips Jr.] doing a good job. I mean, those guys are all doing a great job, and we need them to help us this year.”
Again, as good as Carson Beck is, multiple inside sources are excited to watch the run game. The offensive line is massive, experienced, and have been playing together for years. That’s important, and a big reason why they should open up plenty of running lanes this fall. It’s an outstanding group, and the running backs have to be excited about it.
“Run the damn ball”.
Don’t stray away from the Georgia way. You signed all these 220+ pound backs for a reason. Running the ball successfully will only make things easier for Carson Beck and the play-action game. And if things are easy for Carson Beck, Georgia’s offense is going to be firing on all cylinders.
Injuries happen, but if Georgia’s backs can stay as healthy as possible this fall, we’re going to see a lot of them throughout the season. And that includes Nate Frazier, who will be very hard to keep on the bench.
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