Georgia's Jordan Davis wins pair of prestigious awards Thursday night
Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis was announced as the winner of the 2021 Bednarik Award, given annually to the best defensive player in all of College Football, on Thursday night at The Home Depot College Football Awards ceremony.
Davis beat out Nagurski Trophy winner Will Anderson Jr. of Alabama, potential top pick in the coming NFL Draft Kayvan Thibodeux of Oregon and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, an Atlanta, Ga. native, for the award.
Davis also won the Outland Trophy for the best interior lineman in all of College Football over the likes of Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum and North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.
Davis, who was also a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy which is also given to the top defensive player in College Football, finished the season with 28 tackles, including 3.5 for lost yardage, as well as 2.0 quarterback sacks. A starter or 12 games for the Bulldogs, Davis was named to the All-SEC First-Team by both the AP and coaches.
“I love Jordan and what he has done for our defense is incredible,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said about Davis when asked about his candidacy for the Heisman Trophy during the season. “I don’t think you can measure the statistics and what he’s done for our defense, but I’m no analyst to be deciding who gets to go to the Heisman, and who’s up for it. I think that’s the media and the talking heads and everybody that gets to be a part of that they control the narrative there. For me, it’s about our team and our team’s play. Well, Jordan has been a tremendous, tremendous part of that. It’s been a bigger bonus to our defense from a confidence standpoint, in a run-stopping standpoint than probably any other measurable stat that we have there.”
Davis and the Dawgs finished the regular season 12-0, Georgia’s first unbeaten regular season since 1982, before falling in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama.
However, despite the loss, the Bulldogs still earned a spot in the College Football Playoffs, taking on No. 2 Michigan on December 31 in Miami, Fla. in the Capital One Orange Bowl with a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the line.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, immediately following the other semifinal – No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati. Georgia is currently a 7.5-point favorite over the Wolverines according to VegasInsider.
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