ATHENS — Rian Davis didn’t believe it at first. He sort of knew on Monday of last week he’d be starting for Georgia against Auburn, a first in his four-year Georgia career.
But he didn’t really believe it until Wednesday or Thursday, after going through practice.
You can forgive Davis for being skeptical that this was actually happening to him. Davis’ time at Georgia has been marred by setback after setback. He tore his ACL prior to arriving at Georgia. Then as a freshman, he was knocked out by a torn labrum.
A quad injury robbed him of the ability to contribute last season. He joked his sophomore year was the only one he wasn’t banged up. That 2020 season though almost saw Davis walk away from the game of football. He went into Kirby Smart’s office and told him as much.
But Smart said no and kept pushing Davis to be the best version of himself. The one Georgia fans got to see on Saturday.
“He was ready to just shut it down, and I’m so glad that he did because he’s become a better person,” Smart said. “I don’t know how many of you guys in this room played it, but it’s physical, and it’s hard. You’re not always healthy, and it makes you question what you believe in sometimes, and I think he’s been through that and he’s come out on the good side of it.”
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