2019 Georgia Football: Sophomore Surge, DL Jordan Davis
Defensive Tackle, Jordan Davis is set for a great second season in Athens.
Jordan Davis wasn't the nation's best defensive lineman in the 2018 class. Actually, he was the 44th ranked D-Tackle coming into UGA. But that didn't stop the young man from making a noticeable impact last season for Georgia.
As a true freshman, Davis accrued 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1.5 TFLs, but his impact was felt most in the run game. Opposing offensive lines had a hard time moving Davis all season, but especially in the back half of the schedule. With his size, at 6'6 330 pounds, he's more than a mountain of a man to move.
This type of interior disruption from your nose guard opens up a litany of opportunities for other playmakers, and sure there are more experienced interior defensive linemen on the roster such as Tyler Clark, but no one will draw more attention this season up front than Davis.
Davis came on strong in the second half of the season last year as a freshman
The primary concern with Jordan is his weight, Kirby has reiterated a few times since Davis's arrival on campus last year that controlling his playing weight is something that he will battle the majority of his career.
Thus far, Kirby says that Davis has done a good job of controlling that playing weight and maintaining the ability to stay on the field and remain an impact.
UGA's defense will be able to get after the passer this season, I have no fears of that. With a handful of pass rushers that can really pin their ears back such as Malik Herring, Walter Grant, Brenton Cox, Adam Anderson, and the uber-talented Nolan Smith.
But the primary issue this defense had last season was stopping the run. They ranked 41st in average yards per rush, allowing 4.0 and 31st in rushing yards allowed per game.
And guess what, they were up in majority of their football games last season, so opponents weren't necessarily in the position to run the football, yet they did it successfully all year long. (Opponents attempted just 33.4 rushes per game against UGA last season, that was 11th fewest in all of college football)
Long story short, UGA's rush defense will rely heavily on the performance of Jordan Davis.
Here's a look at Jordan's highlights from his senior season:
