Every Georgia football rushing leader during the Kirby Smart era

USA Today

6 hours ago

The Georgia Bulldogs have had a lot of running back talent come through the program during the first nine seasons of the Kirby Smart era. Georgia's running prowess is a big reason why the Bulldogs have won three SEC championships and two national championships since Smart took the head coaching job ahead of the 2016 season.
Running the football is still a big part of Kirby Smart's brand of football, but over the years he's changed to a more balanced approach. Smart and Georgia have had seven running backs selected in the NFL draft over the past decade (through the 2025 NFL draft).
Over the years, Smart has used a bit of a running back by committee approach. The Bulldogs have not had a running back take over 200 carries since Nick Chubb in 2017. Additionally, Georgia hasn't had a 1,000 yard rusher since D'Andre Swift in 2018.
Who are Georgia's annual rushing leaders during the Kirby Smart era?
2024: Nate Frazier
Frazier teamed up with Florida transfer Trevor Etienne to form a dynamic duo in 2024. Frazier ended the eight overtime Georgia Tech game with a walk-off two-point conversion and Etienne won the SEC championship with a walk-off touchdown.
Stats: 133 rush attempts for 671 yards and eight touchdowns
2023: Daijun Edwards
Daijun Edwards helped Georgia's potent 2023 offense go undefeated in the regular season. The Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC championship, but crushed Florida State in the Orange Bowl to cap off a 13-1 season.
Stats: 165 rush attempts for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns
2022: Kenny McIntosh
McIntosh was a key factor in Georgia's 2022 national title run. He contributed both as a rusher and as a receiver along with Daijun Edwards.
Stats: 150 rush attempts for 829 yards and 10 touchdowns
2021: Zamir White
White helped UGA win the 2021 national title and is the last Georgia running back to lead the team in rushing in back-to-back seasons. Nate Frazier will have a chance to accomplish that in 2025. Interestingly, James Cook never led the team in rushing.
Stats: 160 rush attempts for 856 yards and 11 touchdowns
2020: Zamir White
White had a strong season for Georgia in 2020 especially when considering that Georgia only played SEC competition during the regular season. The Bulldogs played in just 10 games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
Stats: 144 rush attempts for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns
2019: D'Andre Swift
Swift's memorable 2019 season is the last time a Georgia Bulldog ran for over 1,000 yards in a season. In 2019, he memorably ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns in a rainy 21-0 win over the Kentucky Wildcats.
Stats: 196 rush attempts for 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns
2018: D'Andre Swift
Swift proved ready for a larger workload in 2018. He helped Georgia make the SEC championship and fooled numerous defenders with his legendary juke move. Both Swift and Elijah Holyfield topped 1,000 yards in 2018. No UGA running back duo has accomplished that feat since then.
Stats: 163 rush attempts for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns
2017: Nick Chubb
Nick Chubb was the bell cow back of Georgia's 2017 team. The Bulldogs advanced to the national title game and won the SEC thanks in large part to UGA's elite backfield that also featured Sony Michel and D'Andre Swift.
Stats: 223 rush attempts for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns
2016: Nick Chubb
Nick Chubb led Georgia in rushing during three of his four seasons at UGA. His injury-shortened 2015 season is the only time he did not lead the Dawgs in rushing even though he was part of some amazing backfields.
Stats: 224 rush attempts for 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns
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