University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Jordan Davis
September 02, 2019 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, defensive lineman Jordan Davis moves like a much smaller person — while still using his size to move massive offensive linemen out of his way. The Georgia football sophomore was a basketball player for much of his life, loving the game long before he started taking football seriously.
In Saturday's season opener at Vanderbilt, Davis had two tackles, a 4-yard tackle-for-loss and got a handle on a Vandy field-goal attempt though the ball still managed to clear the crossbar. He celebrated what he thought was a block, only to discover that he didn't get quite enough of the ball.
During a Quick Chat before practice Monday, Davis talked about his basketball days, life as a big man, the massive Georgia crowd at Vandy and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:Â
Frierson: As a player, what was it like to look up at the crowd Saturday and see mostly red in another SEC stadium?
Davis: We were talking amongst the players and we felt like it was a home game. Either way, if it was home or away we played our game, but it was amazing, it gives us an extra boost of confidence to see all those fans in Nashville.
Frierson: After you got a hand on the field-goal attempt, how long did it take you to realize that the ball still went through?
Davis: It was when I looked to the sideline and I saw Kirby (Smart), he had his hand out like he was giving me a high-five, but he wasn't hyped. So I turned around and I looked and I saw the ref's arms in the air. I was disappointed, I was so disappointed.
The fact that I even got back there was pretty good, though.
Frierson: What can you tell me about Jordan Davis the basketball player?
Davis: I was a big post guy, really aggressive, a king of crash-the-boards type of dude. I think basketball played a big role in my agility and quickness.
I've been playing basketball for a while, since I was really little, and it was my first sport. I didn't really start playing football competitively until my sophomore year of high school. Basketball taught me a lot of things that I can translate to the football field, but it can't teach you everything. Football is just a different breed of aggression, smash mouth, hit somebody.
Basketball was definitely my first love, but I love football, too.
Frierson: I always ask this when I do these with basketball players and it's certainly fitting to ask you — do you remember your first dunk?
Davis: My first dunk, I was in a YMCA and we were playing pickup. I hadn't been picked up yet, I came halfway into the game. They were playing full-court so when the teams were on the other side of the court those of us not playing would get a couple of shots up on the other rim.
My first dunk was a putback — it was just a rim-grazer, it wasn't anything special. My next one, somebody shot it and I went up, tipped it in and grabbed the rim. It wasn't really a dunk but in my eyes it was a dunk because I grabbed the rim. From that day on I tried to jump as high as I can.
Frierson: How old were you at that point and how big were you?
Davis: I was about 12, 11-ish and I was a good 6 feet.
Frierson: In your life as a big man, what is the thing that most of us average-sized folks don't understand that you have to deal with?
Davis: A lot of attention. It seems like all eyes are on you all the time. I think the stature kind of helps with being a leader — if I say something people will listen. It's hard sometimes, like when you're traveling as a team, when we're traveling on a plane I always bump my head on the door of the airplane.
It's definitely great to have and I wouldn't wish anything against my height. It's a little convenient at times.
Frierson: I did one of these with Cade Mays last week and I asked about dealing with something basic like going to buy a sweater, and he said there's usually nothing too simple about it.
Davis: Oh, man, it can be hard. You either shop online or shop at the store very early, as soon as they get the merchandise. Online shopping is our best friend in my family. I think my little brothers, they're huge, too, for their age, and it's going to be a problem for my mother.
Frierson: What was your favorite toy growing up?
Davis: It wasn't really a toy, it was a Nintendo Game Cube; I got it the first Christmas that I can remember. I remember I got the Game Cube and it had a lot of games. Some of these games I'm still looking for as an adult, to this day.
I'm planning on buying another one and hopefully I can get it hooked up to my TV. We had the box TV back then so it was easier to hook up, but I've been looking for those games for a while.
Frierson: What is the one game you have to find?
Davis: SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, that was the game I played all the time. And I never had a memory card so I had to start over every time. The older I got, the farther along I got in the game, but I never got to the point where I beat the game.
It was just fun to play and I remember spending hours on end sitting in my room and playing video games. That was when life was good and simple.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
