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Georgia's Nate Frazier credits mother's sacrifice, work ethic for his drive on the field: 'She never gave up'
Georgia Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier couldnt help but laugh when he reminisced about his first time getting a handoff in college last season.The true freshman out of Compton, California, didnt expect he would be hearing his name called against No. 14 Clemson, but nonetheless, head coach Kirby Smart wanted him on the field."Theres been people at the University of Georgia for three years and havent even touched the field yet," he told Fox News Digital over the phone while discussing his partnership with Powerades "It Takes More" campaign. "So, its like I wasnt really expecting myself to touch the field.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"My heart was beating out of my chest and I couldnt even feel my body. I was so nervous."Frazier said that first handoff led to him tripping "because I couldnt feel my feet." But Frazier knew he had to face all the noise, expectation and nerves that come with playing SEC football.Why? His mother wouldnt have it any other way.ALABAMA SHOULD CONSIDER BRINGING IN DEION SANDERS AS HEAD COACH, ESPN STAR SAYSFrazier described his mother, Yomeisha Moore, as his "biggest hero."She raised him as a single mother through the first years of his life, depending on her own mother and sisters to help raise her only son. And her son never forgets what shes done to help him reach this point to now being atop the Bulldogs depth chart at running back entering the 2025 season."Her determination and work ethic made me feel like I had no choice I cant give up," Frazier explained when asked about his mothers influence. "No matter what comes my way, theres no backing out because I literally watched her do it. No matter what came her way, she never backed out. She never quit, she never gave up. She always found her way out."My mother never, ever in her life told me, Son, I cant do this. My mother has always made a way for me no matter what it was. No matter if you had a meteor coming down from the sky, my mom would be able to work it out and be able to protect me."That drive from Moore stuck with Frazier, who picked himself up after that first carry against Clemson and rushed for 83 yards with a touchdown on 11 carries in the 34-3 blowout to open the 2024 season.Frazier went on to rush for 671 yards on 133 attempts with eight rushing touchdowns in his debut season for the Bulldogs, cementing himself as a piece for the future on Smarts squad.The stakes are higher for Frazier this year, even if he isnt eligible to enter the NFL Draft just yet. That will have to wait for next year, but hes not even thinking about his own future. His team-focused, saying that he just wants to do whats best for the Bulldogs in 2025 to hopefully make it further than just winning the SEC Championship like they did last season.But Frazier plays for much more than just the Bulldogs and their faithful fans in Athens every week. Over 2,000 miles away, his mother is watching in suspense, hoping her son continues to never give up despite the situation. And so are young ones wanting to be Frazier some day."I play for all the kids back home no matter where theyre at," Frazier began when asked who he plays for each game day. "Not even my hometown, but for kids that dont believe they can do it and just think its impossible and unheard of. I play for all the kids that grew up in the type of situations I grew up in, where majority of the stuff is the street life and stuff like that. I play for all the kids that need to know that there is other options. This option that you choose, the athlete way, whether its playing football, running track or whatever youre doing, it can work."I play for my family. Every time theres hard times or hard points [of the season], I just think about my family and all the struggles we went through and stuff like that. They never gave up on me and were always in my corner, always in my circle. They were positive to me no matter what it was."Frazier and the Bulldogs begin their 2025 football journey on Saturday, where they will host Marshall at Sanford Stadium.FRAZIER KNOWS IT TAKES MOREFraziers emergence as a key cog for the Bulldogs football program means opening up new NIL opportunities, which came as Powerade refreshed the "It Takes More" campaign, which enters its third straight year ahead of the college football season."I never really thought Id be able to have opportunities like this to be able to be in this position," he told FOX Business. "Powerade is a drink thats used by athletes around the world, not even the country. To be able to be in this position is amazing, and it doesnt feel real. Im just really blessed to be able to work with Powerade."As a true freshman last season playing in the SEC, the hardest conference in college football, Frazier truly understood the meaning of "It Takes More.""It takes extra hours of film. It takes extra hours being with your coach. It takes extra hours of field work. It takes more studying of the playbook. It takes more studying of the team youre going to play against. All the things you think you need to work on, dive more into it," he said.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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