Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis wins Bednarik Award

Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jordan Davis on Thursday was named the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award winner, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player.

Davis was selected from a four-person field, which included Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.

Amid a terrific 2021 campaign, Davis has notched 28 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks while leading Georgia’s game-wrecking defense into one of the nation’s best. Davis became the second player in Georgia program history to win the award, with the last being awarded to linebacker David Pollack, now an ESPN analyst, in 2004.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award are both presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player; however, the Nagurski Trophy is decided by a vote of the Football Writers Association of America, while the Bednarik Award is judged by the Maxwell Football Club’s voters, which includes a panel of NCAA head coaches, sportswriters, sportscasters and more. While Davis was awarded the Bednarik Award, Alabama’s Will Anderson was the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Davis has even added a rushing touchdown this season, which came late in the season during Georgia’s demolition of Charleston Southern.

Davis, listed at 6-foot-6, 340 pounds, is the anchor of Georgia’s defense, and much of the Bulldogs postseason success — or lack thereof — figures to fall in the hands of his performance. Davis’ Bednarik Award is the latest in a slew of postseason honors, including All-SEC first team mentions by the Associated Press and the coaches award.

Though many expected Anderson to take home the Bednarik Award, it was Davis, the senior from Charlotte, North Carolina that took home the honor. Davis was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, via the On3 Consensus ratings, and was the No. 37 defensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class. He committed to Georgia over several other offers, and he was given the opportunity to contribute for the Bulldogs immediately. Davis in 2018 was named to the Freshman All-America team by the Football Writers Association of America, after he played in 11 of 14 games his freshman year, starting in four, and finished with 25 total tackles.