The nearly three-decade-long drought of wide receivers who fail to win the Heisman Trophy ended when Alabama senior DeVonta Smith received the award at a virtual ceremony Tuesday night.
Smith is the third Alabama player to win the most prestigious college football award and the first recipient to win it from Desmond Howard of Michigan in 1991. Smith defeated three other finalists, all of whom were defenders: Mac Jones of Alabama, Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Florida Kyle Trask.
Smith received 447 votes in first place (1,856 points in total). Lawrence (222 votes in first place, 1,187 points) finished second in the vote, followed by Jones (138, 1,130) and Trask (61, 737).
Smith leads FBS in receptions (105), receiving yards (1,641) and receiving touchdowns (20). He missed just two passes throughout the season.
Like Howard, though, Smith is more than a receiver. He rushed for a touchdown and returned a point for another score this season. Along the way, he set an SEC record for career touchdowns and an Alabama record for career receiving courts.
Last week, Smith was named Associated Press Player of the Year, becoming the first recipient to win the award.
Not bad for a skinny kid from Amite, Louisiana, who would fall to the floor in high school and do push-ups whenever he saw his reflection, because he thought he was too young to play football in college.
“Tay-Tay”, as it is known at home, became stronger, but remained a relative weight up to 6-foot-1 and 175 kilograms. Due to his light construction, strong hands and ability to run on the track, he would make comparisons with the former great Indianapolis Colts, Marvin Harrison.
In Alabama, coaches and players simply called him “Smitty.” But he also took the nickname “Slim Reaper” along the way.
As a freshman, Smith gained national recognition when he caught the winning step of the game in overtime in the 2018 CFP title game against Georgia. The iconic piece – known forever as “2nd-and-26″ – could have defined her career, but the reserved Smith avoided it whenever she was raised. As he would later say, “I don’t really care about catching. This is not a new year. Move on”.
However, as a sophomore, his injuries would hinder his development and he was largely overshadowed by the appearance of teammates and first-class colleagues Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. Even after scoring 14 touchdowns as a junior, Smith managed to fly under the radar.
But this season has changed all that. Jeudy and Ruggs left for the NFL, and Waddle, who was one of the most dynamic football players in college, was lost in an ankle injury in four games this season.
Smith was not even on the Heisman odds table at Caesars Sportsbook until after Waddle was injured in late October, where he was seconded 60-1. But with Waddle removed, Smith became the focal point of the game that passed and excelled in the spotlight.
One week after Waddle’s injury, Smith scored four touchdowns in a victory over Mississippi. He scored a pair of touchdowns in each of the next two games against Kentucky and Auburn before returning home to Louisiana and scoring three times against LSU.
Smith excelled in the postseason, finding the final twice against Florida in the SEC Championship and three more times against Notre Dame during the CFP semifinals at The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One.
After defeating the Irish to move on to the CFP game, Saban called Smith a “talented guy” and a “hard worker.”
“He does everything exactly right,” Saban said. “He understands very well what he has to do to play songs and gives them all the chances he has. So we’re very lucky to have him.”
Saban, who is not inclined to make comparisons, said Smith has done “as much this year for our team as any player we have ever had.”
Jones, who threw 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns this season, called Smith “the most electric player in college football.”
“He means the most to us here in Alabama,” Jones said. “You can watch the games and see that, what kind of person he is with the way he plays. I was just excited to be able to bring him the ball this year. he improves his project (stock) and I feel that he did exactly that because he just opened up and made explosive parts. “
ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. lists Smith as the fourth best player on the Big Board and the No. 1 recipient.
The Heisman Trophy in hand, the only thing left to do now is for Smith to end his career as he began: Competing for a national championship game.
Smith is 1-1 in the championship games of his career. Monday will break the tie against Ohio State.