Nick Saban hands Georgia freshman running back Nate Frazier the ultimate compliment

When the Georgia Bulldogs were recruiting California native Nate Frazier out of high school, he was nationally ranked the No. 2 running back in the class of 2024.

However, legendary football coach Nick Saban believes he was the best at his position.

While discussing on College Gameday who the Bulldogs might turn to in place of suspended starting running back Trevor Etienne on Saturday against the Clemson Tigers, Saban suggested the true freshman running back .

“I don’t know how much faith Kirby’s got in him, but I thought he was the No. 1 running back in the country last year," Saban said.

It turns out coach Kirby Smart had a lot of faith in Frazier as the young back saw plenty of action against the Tigers on Saturday in place of Etienne.

While Frazier did not get the initial start over sophomore Branson Robinson, Frazier led the Bulldogs' ground game at the half with four carries and 20 yards.

Frazier continued to shine in the second half with a touchdown run from the one-yard line to put the Dawgs up 20-3.

He ended Georgia's 34-3 win over Clemson leading the backfield with 11 rushes for 83 yards and a score.

Etienne did not play on Saturday as part of a disciplinary action following his DUI arrest in March. Aside from Robinson and Frazier, junior running back Cash Jones also split carries and scored a touchdown.

Related: Mac's CFB pick of the week: Georgia Bulldogs kick off 2024 season undefeated