University of Georgia Athletics
‘I Was Just Out There Having Fun’
September 04, 2026 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Nate Frazier's face lit up at the memory. Justin Williams' did the same.
Long before they were key members of the No. 3-ranked Georgia football team, playing home games at Sanford Stadium in front of 92,000 or so barking fans, they were young boys playing their first-ever game.
"I think I was probably about five years old," said Frazier, the junior running back from Compton, Calif. "I played for a team in San Bernardino, and I think we played a team that had the Bengals' logo. I wore No. 45, and I played running back. I was wearing a white jersey, huge shoulder pads, a red helmet, and I scored so many times.
"I was just out there having fun, man."
For Williams, a junior linebacker from Conroe, Texas, he remembers his first game was against a team called the Rams. His team was called the Spring Lions, and he played tight end.
"I was six or seven years old, and I feel like my dad would tell you this, my mom would tell you this, anybody in my family would tell you this: I was a bit of a scaredy-cat when it came to football when I was younger," he said with a laugh. "I was definitely scared and nervous, and I just didn't really want to play, but my parents forced me into it."
It's hard now to picture Williams, who's now 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, as a "scaredy-cat," but he clearly got over that quickly. For Frazier, now 5-10 and 205 pounds, he was always energetic and "a kind of like rough kid." He said his mom put him in football and track to focus and harness all of that energy.
"My mom probably would say I was always rough and stuff like that, and so she said we're going to put this into something," Frazier said.
That something became something special for both. Frazier was a four-star recruit, rated the No. 2 running back prospect in the country coming out of legendary Mater Dei High School, while Williams was a five-star recruit rated the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the country coming out of Oak Ridge High School.
They both arrived at Georgia in 2024, with Frazier making a big impact early while Williams had to wait his turn behind some elite linebackers ahead of him on the depth chart. Frazier started three games as a freshman and made the SEC's All-Freshman team. He rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown in his debut against Clemson, and finished his first season with a team-high 671 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, Frazier again led the Bulldogs in rushing, finishing with 947 yards and six touchdowns and earning All-SEC third-team honors.
Williams played in 12 games as a freshman, making two tackles. In 2025, he played in all 14 games, making 36 tackles, including four for loss.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will open their 2026 season at Sanford Stadium against Tennessee State. And just like that first game they ever played all those years ago, Williams and Frazier will be excited and a little nervous heading out onto Dooley Field.
"I always feel that excitement. I feel like when you lose that passion for the game, that's when you start to play worse, and you're like, Oh, should I continue doing this? For me, it's always been about the passion of the game, and I always tell myself that it's just like when you were making plays back when you were younger," Williams said. "Nothing has really changed for me when it comes to football."
For Frazier, football now is different in some ways from when he first started, but he still loves to play.
"It's exciting, but it's more serious at the same time," he said. "When I was playing younger ball, I wasn't necessarily thinking about the future in college or the future in the NFL. When I was a 5-year-old kid, I was really just out there doing whatever I wanted to do. Being in the position I'm in now, I feel like every single play, every single snap, every single rep, every single thing matters."
The stakes may be higher now, but so are the rewards. Running out onto the field with a full stadium cheering you on, there's nothing else quite like it.
"I would say you kind of get used to it, but then there's always something that catches you off guard," Williams said. "You know, sometimes you're like, dang, the fans are rocking still. You could be up by as many points as possible, but they're still rocking.
"It's very special. When you realize that this could be taken away from you the next day (because of an injury), that's when you realize, dang, I'm very blessed to be here. That's a great feeling."
Staff Writer
Nate Frazier's face lit up at the memory. Justin Williams' did the same.
Long before they were key members of the No. 3-ranked Georgia football team, playing home games at Sanford Stadium in front of 92,000 or so barking fans, they were young boys playing their first-ever game.
"I think I was probably about five years old," said Frazier, the junior running back from Compton, Calif. "I played for a team in San Bernardino, and I think we played a team that had the Bengals' logo. I wore No. 45, and I played running back. I was wearing a white jersey, huge shoulder pads, a red helmet, and I scored so many times.
"I was just out there having fun, man."
For Williams, a junior linebacker from Conroe, Texas, he remembers his first game was against a team called the Rams. His team was called the Spring Lions, and he played tight end.
"I was six or seven years old, and I feel like my dad would tell you this, my mom would tell you this, anybody in my family would tell you this: I was a bit of a scaredy-cat when it came to football when I was younger," he said with a laugh. "I was definitely scared and nervous, and I just didn't really want to play, but my parents forced me into it."
It's hard now to picture Williams, who's now 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, as a "scaredy-cat," but he clearly got over that quickly. For Frazier, now 5-10 and 205 pounds, he was always energetic and "a kind of like rough kid." He said his mom put him in football and track to focus and harness all of that energy.
"My mom probably would say I was always rough and stuff like that, and so she said we're going to put this into something," Frazier said.
That something became something special for both. Frazier was a four-star recruit, rated the No. 2 running back prospect in the country coming out of legendary Mater Dei High School, while Williams was a five-star recruit rated the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the country coming out of Oak Ridge High School.
They both arrived at Georgia in 2024, with Frazier making a big impact early while Williams had to wait his turn behind some elite linebackers ahead of him on the depth chart. Frazier started three games as a freshman and made the SEC's All-Freshman team. He rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown in his debut against Clemson, and finished his first season with a team-high 671 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, Frazier again led the Bulldogs in rushing, finishing with 947 yards and six touchdowns and earning All-SEC third-team honors.
Williams played in 12 games as a freshman, making two tackles. In 2025, he played in all 14 games, making 36 tackles, including four for loss.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will open their 2026 season at Sanford Stadium against Tennessee State. And just like that first game they ever played all those years ago, Williams and Frazier will be excited and a little nervous heading out onto Dooley Field.
"I always feel that excitement. I feel like when you lose that passion for the game, that's when you start to play worse, and you're like, Oh, should I continue doing this? For me, it's always been about the passion of the game, and I always tell myself that it's just like when you were making plays back when you were younger," Williams said. "Nothing has really changed for me when it comes to football."
For Frazier, football now is different in some ways from when he first started, but he still loves to play.
"It's exciting, but it's more serious at the same time," he said. "When I was playing younger ball, I wasn't necessarily thinking about the future in college or the future in the NFL. When I was a 5-year-old kid, I was really just out there doing whatever I wanted to do. Being in the position I'm in now, I feel like every single play, every single snap, every single rep, every single thing matters."
The stakes may be higher now, but so are the rewards. Running out onto the field with a full stadium cheering you on, there's nothing else quite like it.
"I would say you kind of get used to it, but then there's always something that catches you off guard," Williams said. "You know, sometimes you're like, dang, the fans are rocking still. You could be up by as many points as possible, but they're still rocking.
"It's very special. When you realize that this could be taken away from you the next day (because of an injury), that's when you realize, dang, I'm very blessed to be here. That's a great feeling."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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