Is this an honest assessment? Could a non-admin (or even a single admin) go against him and not get banned? Honestly? That is not a measure of respect or even deference except perhaps by a majority of admins.
Probably depends on what you mean by "go against him". Disagreeing with Jimbo is not a bannable offence (I expect Jimbo would unblock anyone blocked for such a reason). Going against policy, as defined by consensus, is a bannable offence (or at least can be), and since Jimbo's opinion holds a lot of sway with most Wikipedians, Jimbo's suggestions for policy generally have consensus.
In other words, if you go against Jimbo, you are generally going against the community, and that is what gets you banned.