It’s been a comeback season for junior linebacker Jarrad Davis and he’s not ready to hang up his orange and blue cleats for greener pastures quite yet. Following the Florida Gators 29-15 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship, Davis announced that he intends on returning to Florida for his senior season.
Davis, a Georgia native who played games in the Georgia Dome, tipped his hand when he was asked what it was like to be back in the Dome on Saturday.
“I love this place man. I think if I can take anything positive from this I know what it feels like to be in this situation. Now I know what it feels like, the magnitude of this game,” Davis said before hinting that he would return for his senior season. “I know in the off season I’m going to do whatever I gotta do, me and my teammates are going to do whatever we gotta do to get back here. It’s something that’s like nothing else. Nothing else is like this.”
When asked a follow-up question if he really was intending on coming back to school Davis responded, “for sure.”
The junior linebacker has 96 tackles on the season, second to only Antonio Morrison’s 99. He’s taken on more of a leadership role this year and has become the quarterback of the defense due to his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of the defense.
“That kid man, his athleticism and the brains he has, I’m normally the one running the defense but this year I seen his want and kind of nurtured him,” senior Antonio Morrison said of Davis. “I taught him some things and he just took it and ran with it and I don’t say anything.”
Davis also mentioned the feeling of not accomplishing everything he wanted to do at Florida, not so much personally, but as a team. He believes that Florida has the talent to return to Atlanta next season and his teammates believe that he has the potential to be one of the best players in the country during his senior season.
“Nobody wants more than him and he’s the best linebacker on this team,” said Morrison. “He’s going to be the best linebacker in the country next year.”
Awesome, He was amazing this season, one of the best years for a linebacker that I have seen. Can’t begin to imagine next year. He will be the Bullard of 2016.
Great Stuff NICK, thanks
I just hope it wasn’t his adrenaline and emotion speaking for him. I’m holding my breathe til after he gets his draft grade.
We REALLY need Caleb Brantley to come back as well. He will be the “Bullard” of the defense. Davis will have a shot at being the best linebacker in the country, but a great defense has to start up front.