Position Preview: Mix of veterans and newcomers should keep UGA ground game humming

We begin our rundown of every position group on the 2026 Georgia Bulldogs roster with a group that returns both a ton of production and yet a few questions as well.

There are plenty of position groups to get excited about for the Georgia Bulldogs heading into the 2026 college football season.  Offensively, one of the rooms most loaded with talent is the running backs room.  Featuring a nice blend of veterans, transfers, and young newcomers, the running game will once again be heavily relied upon on offense.

Let’s take a look at the cast of RBs that will be performing for Georgia on Saturdays this fall.

Nate Frazier

The alpha of the running backs room, Nate Frazier returns to Athens having flirted with the transfer portal this offseason.  During his time at Georgia, Frazier has amassed 1618 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.  Most notably, having dealt with fumbling issues as a freshman and the beginning of the 2025 season, Frazier looks to have moved past those issues, carrying the football more securely and taking a leap in the second half of the 2025 season.

An ankle injury limited Frazier to just one carry on G-Day, though he should be ready to start for the Dawgs in the opening game.

Chauncey Bowens

Having played sparingly as a freshman, Chauncey Bowens showed that he is a very capable 1B to Frazier’s 1A.  Bowens ran for 526 yards on 103 carries in 2025, starting some games over Frazier when Frazier was dealing with his ball security issues.

Bowens looked sharp at G-Day, running for 42 yards on 9 carries as he carves out a substantial role in the running game for the Dawgs in 2026.

Dwight Phillips Jr.

Phillips Jr. is a burner on the ground, and he adds a nice change of pace to the RB room and can easily take an end around to the house.

Phillips will look to build off of his 210 yard season from 2025, and he should also be a threat catching the ball out of the backfield.

Bo Walker

Walker burst onto the scene late during his freshman season, highlighted by his three touchdown day against Charlotte.

The powerful back will look to carve out an even bigger role in 2026, albeit likely still in a reserve role.

Jae Lamar

Lamar arrives to Athens as a four star prospect and the #16 RB recruit in the 2026 class.  He got his first action in the G-Day game, carrying the ball six times for 26 yards.

Kirby Smart is not afraid to give playing time to talented freshmen, and it’ll be fascinating to see what Lamar’s playing time looks like in 2026.

Dante Dowdell

Georgia is the fourth stop for Dowdell during his college football career, having previously attended Kentucky, Nebraska, and Oregon.

Dowdell ran for 560 yards at Kentucky as a junior and 614 as a sophomore at Nebraska.  The senior provides needed experience and depth to the RB, filling the void the departing Josh McCray left.