Jordan Davis gushes over praise from Alabama's Nick Saban

As Alabama prepares to face the dominant Georgia defense, the biggest task for Nick Saban is to gameplan for the big man Jordan Davis. The two college football legends spoke highly of each other this week, exchanging pleasantries before this weekend’s SEC Championship fireworks.

During his press conference, Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis was informed about previous comments by Nick Saban. Not only did he show appreciation, he returned the favor.

“He’s a great coach,” Davis said about Saban on Monday’s SEC Championship teleconference. “Growing up, you’d see him winning championships when he was at Alabama and doing a great job at LSU and everything. He’s definitely one of those coaches that have high regard in the community and a lot of respect in the coaches realm.”

He continued: “So if he called me (dominant), I’m honored. He’s up there with one of the greats.”

Davis has lived up to the hype this season, receiving Heisman Trophy mentions from several analysts who want a nonconventional choice in this nonconventional season. He has 24 tackles and two sacks in 11 games, adding one rushing touchdown. However, his value cannot be understated.

Nick Saban on Jordan Davis

Earlier this week, the Nick Saban chimed in on Jordan Davis and gave the highest praise to the Bulldogs’ star defensive tackle.

“I mean, I think the guy is one of the most dominant players in college football,” Saban said of Davis. “Any defensive lineman, I guess you can look at a lot of things, but the number one thing is how hard are they to block? And he’s really hard to block.

“He’s got great sizee He’s very powerful. But he’s got really good initial quickness, short area quickness, and can push the pocket and pass rush. He’s about as good a player as I’ve seen for a long time as an inside player on any college football team.”

That is high praise from someone who coached the likes of Quinnen Williams, Daron Payne and Christian Barmore in recent seasons. The NFL is littered with Alabama defensive tackles.

Yet Davis, despite his lack of statistical production, stands out for Alabama players. Bryce Young echoed much of what Nick Saban had to stay about the Georgia star.

“He’s a really, really good player. He definitely made a big impact on a lot of games, and it shows on film,” Alabama quarterback Bryce Young said. “He’s a really good player, and overall it’s a really, really good unit. So we understand that. We all see what’s on film.”