One of the more surprising storylines is that Georgia nose guard, Jordan Davis, has decided to play in the upcoming Chick-fil-A against Cincinnati.
This decision comes in the midst of rumors that Davis could skip his senior season to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. But, it appears that the junior still wants to be with his teammates for the time being.
“First of all, I love balling with my brothers,” Davis said. “That’s a big reason, probably the only reason because I love my team too much, I love my dogs too much.”
Davis was asked on Monday if he would come back next season and he said that the decision has not been made yet.
“I have not yet,” Davis said. “I’m not even thinking about it until after the season. That is where my focus is. I am focused on this team and this game. I don’t have a decision right now.”
This will be Davis’ second game back after injuring his elbow against Kentucky on Oct. 31. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound nose guard is a wrecking ball and the heart of Georgia’s defensive front. His absence was felt by the entire unit against Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina. Davis played against Missouri on Dec. 12 in Georgia’s 49-14 win. He helped the Bulldogs limit the Tigers to just 22 net yards rushing on 22 attempts.
Davis said senior defensive lineman Malik Herring was on his case about returning in a short amount of time.
“I was very motivated to play again as soon as possible. Malik (Herring) can tell you that he was on my tail to make sure I was doing the little extra things,” Davis said. “We would be sitting in meetings and he would be like, ‘stretch your arm out, stretch your arm out.’ I love my guys; I just wanted to be with them as much as I can.”
Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning spoke with the media on Monday as well and said that he’s thrilled that Davis is back in the lineup.
“There’s a difference when No. 99 is on the field no doubt. Jordan makes us a much better defense,” Lanning said. “I also think Missouri’s scheme was a little bit different in what they did. You will see we did some different stuff against Missouri as well. Each team you have to assess. Each game is a new game, each Saturday is a new Saturday. You roll out a different plan and are ready to execute. It definitely helps when we have Jordan inside.”
Lanning would correct in regards to having Davis back from injury helps the defense tremendously. Jokes aside, Lanning also said that inside linebacker Nakobe Dean greatly appreciates having his teammate back on the field.
“Oh, yeah, he makes it a world easier for me,” Dean said. “He eats up them double-teams, everything like that. He takes pride in it. Also, he just does not do it as his job, he takes pride eating up double-teams, making sure I am free. He come to the sideline, ask me all the time, what is it looking like? Are they getting in my face, everything like that? It’s great to have him back.”
Throughout his career at UGA, Davis has improved as time goes on.
Currently, the North Carolina native has 56 total stops, 6.0 tackles for loss for a loss of 33 yards and 4.0 sacks for a loss of 28 yards. Davis’ numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet, although if you watch his film, the tape speaks for itself.
Davis was a former three-star and ranked as the nation’s No. 424 overall player in the 2018 class, per 247Sports. Now, he’s a top round NFL Draft talent if he decides to go pro early.
Still, all that hype doesn’t get to Davis’ head, as he stays humble to his teammates and himself.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a star,” Davis said. “I just do what I have to do to make sure I’m successful, make my teammates are successful.”
Davis said he couldn’t be where he’s at today if it wasn’t for his brothers in the locker room.
“Like I said, Malik really my dog. Julian Rochester, all the seniors before, last previous years, they taught me everything I know,” Davis said. “I would not be here without them. I am just motivated by them. They pushed me to go harder. They pushed me to go faster, longer, stronger. Anything I really do is for them, for the whole team. I love the team. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Here is the video from Davis’ press conference: