UGA Football: Frierson Chats With Jordan Davis

10/14/2020

It’s not hard to picture Georgia defensive lineman (and part-time goalline blocker) Jordan Davis, all 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds of him, becoming a big-screen action hero one day. He’s got the size and athleticism to pull it off, as well as the outsized personality and charm.

As I learned during our Quick Chat on Monday, we also did one last season, the junior from Charlotte, N.C., loves the Marvel movies. particularly “Avengers: Infinity War.” I also discovered that Davis loves Swedish Fish candy and road trips.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: Now that you’re three games into the season, how are you feeling? Does this feel like a normal season?

Davis: I would say it feels like a normal season. Definitely, it’s the SEC grind so the games are a lot more physical, going back-to-back-to-back. For me, at least, I feel pretty good. I don’t feel sore that much; usually the day after, and after I get in the hot tub and cold tub, I’m fine. I feel good.

Frierson: How did you feel all of your unexpected free time during the quarantine shutdown? Did you pick up any new hobbies?

Davis: I definitely talked with friends and reconnected with friends, and then I played video games. I haven’t played that many video games during the school year, but in quarantine I had a lot of time on my hands and I was able to do that.

Frierson: What were you playing and are you super competitive when you play?

Davis: I’m not super competitive when I play, I just play to have fun and enjoy taking my mind off of things. This time around, I was playing a lot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a lot of that. That was also a game that a lot of my friends were playing so we’d play online together, and it was just fun to be connected like that, especially through quarantine.

Frierson: We’ve got Halloween coming up soon, so what’s your favorite Halloween candy?

Davis: Ooh, Swedish Fish, of course. That’s something I always look for, I love Swedish Fish. A lot of people know I like Swedish Fish, but I don’t think people understand the magnitude of how much I love Swedish Fish.

Swedish Fish is always my first option, and it not, it’s Sour Gummy Worms — the Very Berry flavor. I love those.

I’ve kind of fallen away from chocolate, I’m more of a candy fan right now, but when I was younger I used to always go for chocolate. If I did have to go for chocolate, it would be the Reese’s Outrageous bars. Those are so good, they go so hard. I love those.

But Swedish Fish is my all-time No. 1 — can’t get enough of it.

Frierson: Did you have a favorite Halloween costume when you were a kid? And given your size, was it hard to find costumes that fit?

Davis: Definitely as I started getting older, costumes were getting hard to find. I had to be creative with the ideas. Sometimes I’d get lazy and a main staple in my costumes were sheets, which I’d use for togas and ghost costumes.

Frierson: When did you get big? When did you realize you were bigger than all of your classmates?

Davis: It was around sixth grade, that was when I hit a huge growth spurt. And I just kept growing and growing and growing. By the time I got to ninth grade, I was already about 6-2 or 6-3.

Frierson: What movie have you seen the most times? Is there one you can quote every line from start to finish?

Davis: Not really, I don’t think I’ve watched a movie so many times that know it word for word. I have a lot of movies that I do enjoy, like I’m a real fan of the Marvel movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’m a real fan of those.

I’m a fan of Thanos (the villain in the “Avengers” movies). Mark Webb calls me Thanos. I’m like a fan of him just because he’s, I can kind of see where he comes from, he just went about it the wrong way.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and hall it all tied into each other, it was really, really good for me. Honestly, I could sit down all day and watch from “Iron Man” to the “Avengers.”

Frierson: Do you have a favorite among the Marvel movies?

Davis: I’m going to say “Infinity War,” because it was a movie where there wasn’t a happy ending. It was just like, where do we go from here? I enjoy movies like that, where it’s not a happy ending. At the end it all kind of worked out, but I remember sitting in the movie theater and it just ended, and I was like, wow, that’s the ending? What’s going on?

Frierson: Can you see yourself being a superhero in a movie one day? I think you could pull that off.

Davis: I think I could be a superhero. I wouldn’t know what my superpower would be, but I think I could be a good superhero.

Frierson: They’d have to be clever. Because you’re so big and strong, that couldn’t be your superpower, that would be too obvious. With your size and personality, I could see that working.

Davis: Definitely, definitely.

Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?

Davis: I would be great at understanding stocks. I feel like that’s a real intricate part of earning money, but I just don’t know where to start. I feel like if I have the knowledge and I can be great it, I can invest in the right stuff and know when to take money out and sell stocks, then that would be really good.

Frierson: Do you pay any attention to the stock market now?

Davis: I don’t know much about it but I try, I do my best. I started a little Robin Hood account so I could put little dollars and cents into it, but I haven’t really made much return. I’m always optimistic about it.

Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else’s dime, where would you like to go and who would you take with you?

Davis: I would say Paris, I always wanted to go to Paris. I think it’s a beautiful city, and I would take my friends and family, just so they can experience it and have fun.

I do want to travel a lot when I get older and have a lot of time to myself. I feel like the world has so much to offer and I’m just only seeing a little glimpse of it. I just really think it’s interesting, I love to travel.

I love the season because it’s this is the most I get to travel. I get to go to Kentucky and Tuscaloosa, where I’ve never been before. Just seeing sights and seeing different states, like Arkansas. That was so amazing — it’s the United States and it’s crazy how much there is to see.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director 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.