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Published Mar 27, 2019
Effort not a worry for Jordan Davis
Anthony Dasher  •  UGASports
Editor

When you’re a young man the size of Georgia nose guard Jordan Davis, keeping your weight in check can be a constant battle.

Fortunately, his effort isn’t a concern for Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart.

“Jordan is pushing hard. He works really hard; he's working to control his weight. Jordan's not playing to the level that he was mid-season, end of the season,” Smart said. “He's not there right now, but he’s working hard.”

The Head coach quipped that he, Smart, could probably take some lessons.

“Jordan comes in and works cardio more than anybody we've got. If I ran as much as Jordan, my wife would be happy because I'd be skinny,” Smart said. “But Jordan's got to fight that battle, and he knows it. We don't have enough depth there.”

At least until the start of fall camp in August, that is. However, right now, it’s an issue.

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"If I ran as much as Jordan my wife would be happy because I'd be skinny"
Kirby Smart

One of the areas Kirby Smart really made it a point to address during last year’s recruiting cycle was the defensive line.

From the looks of it, Smart and his coaches did an excellent job, signing five newcomers—Tramel Walthour, Travon Walker, Bill Norton, Tymon Mitchell and Zion Logue—listed as defensive linemen in the Bulldogs’ spring football media guide. The problem is that, with the exception of Walthour, four of those players are still spending their last few months as high school students.

Smart wishes he had them all here now.

"What other guys? We don't have any,” said Smart, when asked Tuesday what defensive linemen might be stepping up their respective games.

“Our defensive line is, like, super thin,” Smart said. “I guess I'm whining to the masses, because everybody will tell you they don't have enough defensive linemen. You know?”

Injuries haven’t helped.

Julian Rochester and Michail Carter aren’t practicing after undergoing off-season surgery, while David Marshall is coming off Lisfranc surgery and only taking limited practice reps. That’s left Michael Barnett, Davis, Tyler Clark, Malik Herring, Devonte Wyatt and Netori Johnson as the only scholarship defensive linemen at Georgia’s disposal this spring.

“I thought Devonte Wyatt was a guy who's been really competitive and done some good things. He was starting to grow up in the season,” Smart said. “But there's something about these guys in their second spring, where they start to click and get it. We need it. Our help is on the way there. It's just not here.”

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