Jordan Davis’ big smile, and wild hair sitting on the bench after a huge play for Georgia makes it difficult to see the transformation that happens when big No. 99 makes his way on to the field and into the minds of opposing quarterbacks.

There he is, all 340 pounds of him with a GPS-recorded speed of 20 mph, and oh, by the way, blocking kicks and otherwise punishing game plans. Yes, he made 3 tackles, but his impact, particularly on Saturday against Kentucky, was so much more. Teammate Adam Anderson explained.

“When JD is taking like 3 dudes out, helping the other person out, just very a team player, the way he’s doing it, PAT or so, blocking punts, that’s great,” Anderson said.

Of course, what will likely hold him back in regards to the Heisman Trophy conversation is a lack of numbers to splash on a screen to bolster an argument. For example, through 7 games, Davis has only 1.5 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. Davis normally clears a path, or sucks up blockers like a souped-up vacuum cleaner, and doesn’t collect numbers that look impressive on a graphic in New York City.

Davis was one of Georgia’s representatives at SEC Media Days, which said something about his personality, and coach Kirby Smart and others have been open about Davis’ challenges to keep his weight under control. When he does, as is evident this season, the Bulldogs benefit, and Davis’ NFL stock soars. He is the unmistakable glue of the best defense in America, and his coach and teammates don’t mind gushing about him.

“Godzilla-like. He’s impactful. He’s the immovable object,” Smart said. “When he buys into staying healthy and keeping his weight down, he’s a really good player. He has bought into that.”

Davis’ play has made him the brightest star on a defense that has multiple dominant players at seemingly each level, and certainly the front 7. But what could put him over the top in terms of media attention toward the Heisman is his personality and media-friendly persona that comes through within the program. It’s gotten to the point where his own coach compares him from a media perspective to a quarterback.

“The young man is under a tremendous microscope in terms of media, for a D-lineman,” Smart said. “Maybe not for a quarterback, but for a D-lineman, he’s under a microscope.”

However, his reputation, unselfishness and versatility is the secret sauce for the Georgia defense because it allows the alignment to shift according to what offenses are doing. And quarterbacks know he’s not the average nose tackle who can be run around on a scramble.

Anderson is one of those beneficiaries and added that Davis’ ability to run down quarterbacks makes him probably the most impactful player on the defense, which is widely viewed as the No. 1 unit in the country.

“Honestly, when you see someone like Jordan Davis, how can you not have him as Heisman,” Anderson said.

Smart knows that Davis’ ability allows Georgia to play alternative coverages, something that’s not normal.

“He’s definitely a bright spot and, more importantly, he’s very entertaining in meetings and he’s a great personality,” Smart said. “People who don’t know him should get to know him because he’s just fun and fun to be around. Embrace him.”