Measuring someone’s physical attributes isn’t that hard.

How did the old insurance TV advertisement go, even a caveman can do it? That’s not far from the truth.

You, me and your 80-year-old Aunt Agatha can look at any number of players on the Georgia football team and see the athletes that make up Kirby Smart’s team. Seeing what’s inside—heart, drive, and want-to—can be more difficult.

Such was the case with nose guard Jordan Davis.

For those who have been paying attention, we’ve written about Davis before. At 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds (actually 30 pounds heavier when he signed), the North Carolina native was thought to have been a project when he arrived in Athens one year ago.

Hand raised; I was one of those.

Position coach Tray Scott would take at least a year to mold Davis into a contributor, or so it was thought. Even then, it was probably going to be another year or two before he ever sniffed the opportunity to earn a starting role.

After all, “mere” three-stars aren’t supposed to make early impacts, right? Some would lead you to believe only high four- and five-stars have that privilege. As a lot of folks learned last year, a person’s ranking doesn’t always tell the story of what a player can become. Or how quickly that story plays out.

That’s why, of all the defensive story lines for Georgia looking ahead to spring practice, the one involving Davis may be the most impressive.

Anytime someone would doubt Davis, the Charlotte native said, “Watch me.”

Kirby Smart said it himself: Davis worked his rear end off. Literally. Not only to lose the approximate 30 pounds of baby fat he needed to ditch, but in doing so, ultimately force Smart to consider giving him the playing time he craved.

Not only that, but one could argue Davis may have been Georgia’s most valuable defensive lineman last year. And he could be one of the Bulldogs’ most important defensive players come fall.

Don’t laugh. If there’s one position in the SEC where you need a dominating presence, it’s nose guard. Davis will have a chance to be exactly that.

As a freshman, Davis finished the season with 25 tackles, including 1.5 for sacks, displaying athleticism you don’t always see in a young man his size.

Couple that with a desire to be the best, Davis has a chance to prove a lot more people wrong before his playing days are done.

With Georgia set to cap off another excellent signing class on Wednesday, perhaps some of the newest Bulldogs would do well to take a page from Davis.

The message: Don’t let others dictate what your lot on a team—or in life—will be. No, take control, work hard; earn your way.

Davis did. His story turned out just fine.