Davis ends Sanford Stadium days how he started it – with a pick

In his first-ever game at Sanford Stadium, Aaron Davis picked off a pass against Clemson. It seemed fitting for the former walk-on to then snag another interception in his final game at Georgia’s home field.

The pick came with 2:50 to go in the third quarter of Georgia’s 42-13 victory over Kentucky Saturday. The Wildcats opted to go with a trick play and had receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. throw a deep ball down the field. The pass hung high in the air and allowed Davis, in good coverage, to gain position, high-point the ball and snag it on the way down.

For Davis, it was his first interception of the 2017 season and the fifth of his career at Georgia. He was able to bookend his playing days at Sanford Stadium with picks, which held a lot of meaning for the Georgia graduate from Locust Grove.

“To close the book the way I opened it is special,” Davis said. “I really enjoyed that first game here in Sanford and then I caught a pick in the last one that I played in Sanford. It was a special moment and something I’ll never forget.”

While Davis was able to conclude his time at Sanford Stadium with an interception, he said the first pick against Clemson in 2014 is probably still the best moment, just because it was his first time on the field playing for Georgia.

Davis got his first chance to play for Georgia amidst a change at defensive coordinator from 2013 to 2014. Redshirting under Todd Grantham in his first year, Jeremy Pruitt hopped on former head coach Mark Richt’s staff a season later. Pruitt saw potential in Davis and elevated the walk-on to a starting role.

Davis earned a scholarship in 2015 and has kept one since.

Throughout his Georgia career, Davis has bounced around the secondary. He’s been a cornerback, nickel back and safety. He’s played those first two positions primarily this season, with head coach Kirby Smart saying Davis saw some practice time at safety during the past week.

Smart has enjoyed seeing Davis develop and grow as a player in the two years he has been Georgia’s head coach and believes big things are ahead for the SEC academic honor roll student.

“He’s a great leader, a great kid,” Smart said. “He’s really smart. I think he’ll be a CEO of some company one day. He’s a business major. He’s incredibly bright. He’s talented mentally and I’m really proud of the play he made. He went up and high-pointed the ball. I’m proud he decided to return and continue to play. He is one of those seniors who impacted the younger players. We want the younger players to understand the standard that’s been set by the older players. That’s got to be ingrained by how they practice.”

As for the interception itself, Davis said Bowden “kind of threw one up” for grabs. Having to high-point passes like that in practice, Davis made sure to put himself in the correct position to make the play.

“I’ve always said that’s why I love playing defensive back,” Davis said. “You get to play defense – you get to be the hammer and not the nail. But then when they throw the ball in the air, I get to become the receiver. So I’m really playing offense and defense.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Davis ends Sanford Stadium days how he started it – with a pick."