Rian Davis has been through a lot in his first three seasons at the University of Georgia.

The junior inside linebacker battled off-the-field issues, as well as several injuries. He then found himself inside Kirby Smart’s office before the COVID-impacted 2020 season ready to sit out. However, the seventh-year UGA head coach didn’t let Davis give up so easily.

“I was going through a lot. There were some other issues off the field, plus the whole COVID thing,” Davis recalled to reporters on Tuesday. “I really wasn’t battling injuries, but just some little nick-nack things and just not being where I wanted to be.”

Smart convinced him not to give up and to stick with it, despite Davis wanting to give up.

“I said, 'No you're not. You're staying with it. You're going to stick it out, you're going to keep playing, you're going to keep practicing,’” Smart remembered of that meeting in his office. “He was ready to just shut it down, and I'm so glad that he stayed because he's become a better person. 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.”

Davis stuck with it, kept his head down, and worked relentlessly hard over the next two seasons. He was able to overcome a couple of key injuries - an ACL tear, a torn labrum, and a torn quad - that had held him back. Davis entered the Bulldogs’ 2022 campaign only having played in a handful of games, but he kept his head and chin held high.

Finally, he was able to get his first start last week at inside linebacker due to a couple of injuries to Smael Mondon and Trezmen Marshall in Georgia’s 42-10 victory over Auburn. Davis totaled a career-high four tackles and had a quarterback pressure last Saturday.

“His maturity showed in terms of having composure and play,” Smart said of Davis’ outing against Auburn. “I was proud of Rian, though, because he’s not a guy who’s played a lot of snaps. He’s had a lot of injuries. He’s been dinged up even in recent weeks, but he went out and pushed through and played well for his team. … That shows resiliency. He talked all off-season about it. He stands in front of the team and talks about what he's been through and how tough it's been, and if you keep plugging away, good things will happen.”

Davis echoed Smart’s sentiment.

“It was very exciting and it was a very emotional game for me. I’ve been through a lot,” Davis said. “So, to get that first start and getting to go out there with my brothers, it was a good time.”

Davis’ four-tackle effort was a team’s-second-best behind sophomore inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson. He was able to create a lot of trouble for Auburn’s offensive unit.

Davis is very familiar with the term “trouble.” In fact, it’s his nickname, which came from his prep ball days at Wekiva High School in his hometown of Apopka, Florida. Davis daunts a silver necklace with the phrase “trouble” in bold lettering around his neck.

He said it’s become a game day ritual of his to wear during the Dawg Walk before games. Davis added that it inspires him to keep moving through whatever adversity he will face.

“I got that nickname back in high school. It originally didn’t start so much as a football ‘trouble’,” Davis said. “It was kind of a little outside trouble, but it came onto the field, though.”

Davis is likely to play a bigger role in the Bulldogs’ defense moving forward. Still, he knows that he has to keep grinding because there are other players behind him that want his spot.

According to Davis, he got a great reaction from inside linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator, Glenn Schumann, following his breakout performance against the Tigers.

“It’s not easy to get some good feedback out of Schu (Glenn Schumann),” he said. “He grades hard, but he told me he’s proud of me. I stepped up and overall did a pretty good job.”

Davis wants to continue to grow under Schumann, Smart, and the rest of the Georgia staff. He’s taken multiple strides in terms of becoming more mature since arriving in Athens. Davis has learned a lot about himself in that time both as a player and as a student.

“I’ve tried to take everything they say and take it into consideration, whether it’s academic or athletic,” Davis said about his growth. “It might even be just a quote. So, I’ll put it in my notebook, take extra notes, watch extra film and really lock in on what I need to do.”