[8][10] After completing a perfect regular season, Davis and the Bulldogs fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2021 SEC Championship. MOST SCHOOLS RECRUITED Davis as an offensive lineman, but Scott was certain he had a future star on his hands at nose tackle. Florida is always an exciting time, especially playing in the Jacksonville stadium at neutral ground. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Jordan is a big, nice kid. Mallard Creek was headed toward its third consecutive state title. of America Freshman All-America TeamCoaches Freshman All-SEC TeamPlayed in 11of 14 games, starting in four, and finished with 25total stopsseason-high seven tackles vs. LSUtwo tackles vs. Vanderbilt included a fourth-down stop that caused a Commodore turnover on downsmade his first collegiate start vs. Floridafour tackles vs. MTSUthree tackles vs. Ga. Tech included a QB sack. Football provided the perfect outlet. That Davis has arrived at this moment is still a surprise, even to him. Davis was always a quiet kid. In mid-September, however, Davis had put on some extra weight. Schumann returning to Georgia, FSU AD: Lagging ACC revenue 'has to change', Harbaugh: Corum to miss spring to rehab knee, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all, Connelly on transfer trends: What last season can teach us about 2023, College football's assistants and coordinators to watch in 2023. Shon Galloways eyes would invariably narrow. He dazzled at the NFL Combine, when he ran an incredible 4.78-seconds in the 40-yard dash weighing 341 pounds. 2019:Started eight of 14 games and finished season with 18 total stopsassisted on a QB sack for a 10-yard loss vs. Floridaone of his two tackles vs. Texas A&M was a solo QB sack for a 5-yard lossregistered a QB sack vs. LSUrecorded a tackle for 4-yard loss vs. Vanderbilthad a tackle for loss vs. Missourileft Tennessee game in first quarter with ankle injuryco-winner of Defensive Up Front Award, given at teams post-season awards gala. Name: Dennis Redmond Jr. School: Long Beach Jordan. Basketball was his first love Growing up, Davis wasn't really interested in football because basketball was his. At Georgia, however, those loose threads had already led him to swap majors three times. So thats one thing that Im keeping in mind. Weight has always been a concern for Davis, which is why despite his 6-foot-6 frame and rather quick first step, he was the No. Football is long. Hes coming off his best game of the 2020 season: He recorded a sack, blocked a kick and had three tackles against Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl. A post shared by Jordan Davis (99) (@jordandavis.99). It took all three of them to slow his path. In his final year at Georgia, Davis received the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy. Both cracked half smiles as their respective white and red helmets rest at their feet. here. Together, Douglas and Davis helped form one of the more formidable offensive and defensive fronts in the last decade of North Carolina high school football, or the trench mob as Reese later dubbed them. When you recruit as well as Georgia has in recent seasons, theres a lot of attention and emphasis on the 5-star recruits the Bulldogs are chasing. As time went on they were rivals (at South Carolina and Georgia), but thats OK. Theyre friends.. Q.I know Mallard Creek is a pretty big school there football-wise. Davis was 6-foot-6, more than 300 pounds, and he struggled to bench press a fraction of his body weight. Davis got reps on the JV team. It was the part of the hero's journey when he returns home to discover he has grown far more powerful since he left. We put that talent on display and we went on and won three state championships, and it was pretty special. Join Facebook to connect with Carolyn Georgia and others you may know. The reason though for the excitement surrounding Davis from both plugged-in Georgia fans and NFL scouts is because Davis began emerging as a disruptive force late last season. We need to know the brother beside us. Davis said. He had mostly played on the offensive line, and he wasn't sold on a future there. "He just ate up the middle," Galloway said. Davis was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. We had a kid named T.J. Moore, who was a 6-5, 300-pound guard who went to Florida. Allen assured Jordan would play football that fall. I feel like this time around Im really taking my time this season and savoring the moment and enjoying and being grateful for the moment because not a lot of people can be in this position. That definitely helps out. Coach Palmieri put Jordan in on the defensive line in the North Mecklenburg game. He begged teachers to let him sit in on tutoring sessions and, when that failed, hid in bathroom stalls, sometimes for up to an hour before coaches eventually found him. Honestly, the only person Im looking forward to playing is my old high school teammate Eric Douglas, he said. Its a lot. What was that meeting like, and what was the discussion like in the locker room when people were deciding to get the shot? 1, Huge 4-star 2024 OT JacQawn McRoy includes Georgia among top schools, Georgia DL Jalen Carter not participating in NFL Combine workouts, Former Georgia WR led all NFL rookies in this stat, Elite WR NiTareon Tuggle earns offer from UGA football, RGIII predicts Stetson Bennett to Baltimore Ravens, Georgia football helmets through the years, Larry Munson's 10 favorite calls as voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, New Georgia transfer led all WRs in this stat last season, LSU safety with Georgia ties enters transfer portal, A look at Georgia football's receivers for the 2023 season, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. [6][7] During the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, Davis had 16 tackles and a sack while leading his team to a win in the 2021 Peach Bowl. He just wasn't very good. Just going in the offseason, having a big game like that, does it give you extra motivation going into the season? "We all saw the potential in him. What Davis would do next, however, would exceed even his wildest ambitions. Davis played AAU ball, and his mother, Shay Allen, would sit in the stands and hear the other parents speculate. "That's one of the most impressive plays I've ever seen," said South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, who went viral himself when he was asked why his team struggled against Georgia's defensive front. Eric Sr. quips it took Little Eric time to adjust to the contact of the game. Eric and those guys fed off of that.. Please check your email for a confirmation. He improved. He pushes me to be the best. No interior lineman has made a serious run at the Heisman since Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh in 2009. He pushes me to be better than who I am. Davis appeared in every game throughout 2019 and started eight contests. Its been an interesting odyssey in such a short period of time, because Davis did not seem to be going anywhere until his senior year at Mallard Creek High School, in Charlotte, North Carolina. "I never thought I'd be in this position," Davis said. Davis' commitment did not have much fanfare. [17] After the draft, he signed a four-year, $17 million contract with the Eagles, all of which was guaranteed. She got it all in writing. Looking back, how different do you think the outcome of that Florida game would have been if youd been available and J.T. I didn't find out until afterward that he hadn't even really played football yet.". There were Humphries, Samuels and Moss, cheering on their alma mater when released from obligations at Florida, N.C. State and LSU, respectively. The business didn't last, but he still makes music with fellow Georgia lineman Bill Norton for fun. But Jordan did not start until his senior year, because he had so much talent in front of him. But Davis did not really come into his own until his senior year at Mallard Creek. JORDAN DAVIS: I can only speak for myself. Jordan Davis was a celebrity. "Jordan has the ability to be a three-down player, but his true value really comes in helping us win first down and maximize second-and-long," Scott said. In the locker room, he cracks jokes to break the tension before a big game. As a senior, he was an every-down player, but I think its funny the same criticisms that hes facing now about conditioning, his stamina, his weight, he faced the same coming out of Mallard. Internship position. Football opened doors. The final line of defense was T.J. Moore, whod spend three years at Florida before transferring to Charlotte this past offseason. Georgia had a school-record nine players drafted over the weekend in the 2021 NFL Draft, three of whom . You dont want to be too thirsty for these deals where you pass up or miss out or slip up during the season. And if that means he's not considered the country's best player, so be it. Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Jordan Davis is returning to the University of Georgia for another season. "She's a wild child," Davis laments, "and I feel like I'm to blame.". Theres some light banter about each teams chances on a given week, but its kept friendly. JORDAN DAVIS: Honestly, Ive been working with Collier (Perno), our nutritionist, and we havent even been talking about weight, weve been talking about body fat content, or BMI, BMI index. Brown, SEPTA to purchase 10 zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell buses, Bryce Harper to give command to start engines at NASCAR race in Las Vegas, Eagles name Alex Tanney QB coach, plus other coaching staff updates, The food you eat impacts the health of your eyes, Construction of Penn's Landing park over I-95 finally approved to begin, PennDOT says, Joanna McClinton becomes first woman elected as speaker of Pa. House. You being from Charlotte, how much did that first game of this coming season factor into your decision to come back, and how much are you sort of looking forward to playing Clemson in that first game? Jordan Davis, left, and Eric Douglas played prep football together at Mallard Creek High School before their careers at South Carolina and Georgia, respectively. "He stresses me out with that," his mom said. 1 scoring defense in the country. He has Georgia on the precipice of a College Football Playoff run, and he has perhaps the most cynical fan base in college sports believing that the football gods have at last delivered them a hero who will lead them to that mythical national championship. On the first play of Erics youth career, he headed toward a gap when Jaire Alexander who later starred at Louisville prior to his NFL career and is two years Douglas senior headed toward him. Davis has played 155 snaps at nose tackle this year. There's serious Heisman buzz for Davis now, too -- not because of the numbers on his stat sheet, which are pedestrian, but from the sheer spectacle of his play. "We call him Big Smooth.") Back home in Charlotte the past couple of weekends, Jordan Davis found himself. Im confused by it, honestly. Jordan Davis tried making himself invisible, slipping into the shadows and sliding unseen through the Mallard Creek High School boy's bathroom door. 4. When he went to Georgia, it was the same thing. Davis was an introvert, and he had spent that summer sitting at home, playing video games with a handful of friends, enjoying the air conditioning and raiding mom's fridge. And what were some of the advice that you got that maybe youll give to others when its their time to decide? Because thats both how good and important Jordan Davis is to the Georgia defense. Eventually, Palmieri and a few other coaches found him and directed him onto the field, where he watched and baked in the sun. Davis and Douglas have grown since their days cracking shoulder pads along the fields at Mallard Creek. Who is that big boy? Noteworthy: The 6-foot-1 senior guard finished with a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds to lead Long Beach . JORDAN DAVIS: Definitely. Honestly, we treat every game the same. He has all these intangibles that allow him to be successful., Added Palmieri: The competition in practice every day was, to be honest with you, harder than a lot of the games.. Adding to his clandestine quest was the problem of the bathroom being about 70 yards down from where the Mallard Creek weight room was. He didn't have to play, she said. Davis wasn't interested. Hes basically a larger version of the late Jerome Brown, an oversized guy with a room-capturing personality to match. That Mallard Creek roster was littered with future Division I prospects was more a norm than once-in-a-generation luck. But he got that under control and looks to be in the best shape of his career entering a pivotal 2020 season. Can you speak on kind of how the off-the-field stuff that you guys have done, whether it be the skill sessions or just spending time together, how do you feel like that will help you guys meet these expectations that have been set here? My main focus is just playing because you cant get an NIL deal if youre not good at football. Its like having an older brother that I didnt have at the time. Jordan had made a major dent in that weeks groceries. PhillyVoice Contributor, Eagles Day 2 draft grades: C Cam Jurgens and LB Nakobe Dean, Jason Kelce on Cam Jurgens: 'This is my favorite player in the draft', Eagles first-round draft grades: Jordan Davis and A.J. Jordan Davis is not a mythical hero, but far from ancient Greece, in another Athens, he can become one. 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