UGA football signed the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in 2019. Some of the class’s best players are yet to letter, near the top of that list is Rian Davis.
Can Georgia’s defense possibly get even deeper this season? Actually, it can because of future stars like linebacker Rian Davis.
The Apopka, Fla. native signed with Georgia as the No. 89 player overall and the No. 5 inside linebacker in the 2019 class. At 6-1.5 and 240 lbs., Davis already possessed an ideal mike linebacker frame with SEC-ready size.
Davis enrolled early but redshirted in his first UGA football season after missing the spring with a knee injury he sustained during high school football season. No reasons were given as to why Davis missed the entire regular season, but the knee injury may have lingered, and 247Sports’ John Garcia Jr. even said Davis may have to wait a year to contribute because of the injury.
Davis doesn’t just have ideal frame and size for the mike linebacker position, he also has the ideal skillset. Davis is an inside linebacker who can play the whole field and has a knack for disecting plays and figuring out what direction they’re going before the ball changes hands.
Davis is ferocious when it comes to getting into the backfield and always seems to take the right angle to get to the ball carrier. The only thing really missing from his game coming out if high school was pass coverage. But he’s had a year to work on that in practices.
The only thing standing in Davis’ way this year is experience. Georgia has plenty of inside linebackers with experience on the 2020 roster starting with group leader Monty Rice. After Rice are Channing Tindall, Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. That’s a tough group to pass in one offseason, especially after an injury. Davis will play this season, he’s too good to ride the bench, but without experience, he’s going to have to really earn substantial playing time.