Jordan Davis Praises Georgia Football For His Development
Jordan Davis arrived at Georgia in 2018 as a late-blooming, three-star prospect, but four years later, the Charlotte, North Carolina native left the Georgia program as a national champion and a first round NFL draft pick. In a recent article he wrote in The Players’ Tribune, Davis wrote about the role the Georgia program played in his development from an under recruited kid who was late to football into a force on the defensive line of the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In the article, Davis reveals that he did not take up football until he was 15-years-old, which led him to be late to the college recruiting scene. The Eagles defensive lineman admits that while he had the physical ability coming out of his school, he was extraordinarily raw. However, Davis credits Georgia for looking beyond his rawness as a player to see the immense potential the then 6-foot-6, 330-pounder possessed.
“Eventually I got good enough that I had some college offers coming in, but even then I wasn’t a 5-star recruit by any means. I was still really rough in a lot of areas, and schools knew that. Georgia, though, they believed in me from the beginning. It’s like from day one, they had the mentality of, We already think you’re the best in the nation at your position. Now we just need YOU to think it. And then play like it.”
Once he arrived in Athens, Davis found an NFL-esque culture within the Georgia program that molded him into the unanimous All-American and first round NFL draft pick that he ultimately developed into.
“Don’t get me wrong — the culture at Georgia is not easy. They run that program like it’s the NFL in a lot of ways. I’m not even kidding. It’s the gauntlet of fire. But they also didn’t care that I was a late bloomer one bit. So for as much as they were challenging me, they didn’t just throw me out there and let me fail. They always took their time and taught me.”
With his awareness of the central role Georgia played in him accomplishing his collegiate and NFL dreams along with the fond memories he created during his time in the Classic City, the Charlotte native explains that the Bulldogs will always hold a special place in his heart.
And you know I’m bringing up that my Georgia career ended with a NATTY! I can’t even explain to y’all how special that season was for us. That’s one of my proudest moments — knowing how when I first got on campus, that’s all we used to talk about, competing for championships. And then to do it on that stage, and to bring that trophy back to Athens?? It was everything. I’ll never be able to tell Georgia enough how much I appreciate them. It’s Go Dawgs FOREVER.
Georgia DL Jordan Davis celebrates after Georgia defeated Alabama on Jan.8, 2023 to win the CFP national championship.
After choosing to return to Georgia for his senior year in 2021, Davis was a unanimous All-American selection for his final collegiate season. That same season, he was also awarded the Bednarik and Outland Trophies for the best collegiate defensive player and the best collegiate interior defensive lineman respectively. Davis was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No.13 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
