Georgia’s new freshman RB is making a furious charge up the depth chart

A Week 1 suspension to Trevor Etienne opened the door for Nate Frazier to carry the ball 11 times as a true freshman against Clemson last season. Frazier capitalized on the opportunity to the tune of 83 yards and a touchdown, and parlayed that success into becoming the team’s leading rusher for the season. 

Now, Frazier is heading into Year 2 entrenched as RB1 for the Dawgs while a new freshman running back is turning heads and taking advantage of his opportunities in fall camp. 

Bo Walker making his case for RB2 reps as Josh McCray battles illness

Kirby Smart wasn’t willing to head into the season with one of the youngest running back rooms in the country, so he added Illinois graduate transfer Josh McCray to the backfield through the transfer portal this offseason. McCray rushed for 10 touchdowns and over 600 yards for the Fighting Illini last season, but he’s spent much of fall camp fighting illness. 

Just a three-star recruit out of Ellenwood, Georgia, Walker immediately caught the coaching staff’s attention during the spring. His senior season of high school football was derailed by a transfer decision that deemed him ineligible and may have caused him to go overlooked as the 325th overall player in the class by 247Sports Composite Rankings. Now that he’s in Athens, he’s overlooked no more. 

With a low center of gravity at 5-foot-9, 210 pounds, Walker has a powerful run style and can change directions quickly without sacrificing acceleration. He doesn’t have elite breakaway speed, but his jump cuts and contact balance make him difficult to bring down. Plus, his soft hands should make him a weapon in the passing game, which could help him to supplement Frazier, who caught just 12 passes for 85 yards last season and struggled with drops. 

McCray is expected to return from his illness soon, but once he does, Walker may still have a role carved out in Mike Bobo’s offense. At 6-foot and 240 pounds, McCray is a bruising between-the-tackles runner, best utilized in short-yard situations and on the goalline, not as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. 

It could be a lot to ask of a true freshman to be Georgia’s third-down back. Especially with a first-year starting quarterback in Gunner Stockton, that will require him to be proficient with pass protection and blitz pickups, but if Walker can excel in that aspect of the position, then he’ll play a significant role for the Dawgs all season. 

Frazier should be a bellcow for Georgia. His sophomore season could be a major breakout on a run-heavy offense, but Walker’s rise up the depth chart is just as exciting for the future of the position in Athens.