The drought of nearly three decades of wide receivers failing to win the Heisman Trophy ended when Alabama veteran DeVonta Smith received the award during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday night.
Smith is the third Alabama player to receive the most prestigious college football award and the first recipient to win it since Desmond Howard, Michigan, in 1991. Smith beat three other finalists, all defenders: Mac Jones from Alabama, Trevor Lawrence de Clemson and Florida’s Kyle Trask.
Smith received 447 votes for first place (1,856 points in total). Lawrence (222 votes for first place, 1,187 points) finished in second place, 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 only lost two passes throughout the season.
However, like Howard, Smith is more than a receiver. He ran for a touchdown and returned a punt for another score this season. Along the way, he set a SEC record for career touchdowns and an Alabama record for career receiving yards.
Last week, Smith was named the Associated Press Player of the Year, becoming the first recipient to win the award.
Not bad for a skinny boy from Amite, Louisiana, who threw himself on the floor in high school and did push-ups whenever he saw his reflection because he thought he was too small to play football in college.
“Tay-Tay”, as he is known at home, became stronger, but remained a relative featherweight, at 1.80 meters and 75 kilos. Because of his slender build, strong hands and skill as a route runner, he made comparisons with former Indianapolis Colts great Marvin Harrison.
In Alabama, coaches and players simply called him “Smitty”. But he also earned the nickname “Slim Reaper” along the way.
Still a freshman, Smith achieved national recognition by receiving the victory pass in overtime for the 2018 CFP title against Georgia. The iconic move – known forever as “2nd and 26th” – could have defined his career, but Reserved Smith avoided it whenever it was mentioned. As I would say later: “I don’t care about the capture anymore. It’s a new year. We’re moving on.”
However, as a second year, injuries would hinder his development and he was largely overshadowed by the emergence of teammates as well as star recipients 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 college football’s most dynamic game creators, was defeated by an ankle injury four games in the season.
Smith wasn’t even on Heisman’s odds table in the Caesars Sportsbook until after Waddle was injured in late October, where he was placed 60-1. But with Waddle aside, Smith became the focal point of the passing game and stood out in the spotlight.
A week after Waddle’s injury, Smith scored four touchdowns in a victory over the state of 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 zone twice against Florida in the SEC championship and three more times against Notre Dame during the CFP semifinal in the Rose Bowl game presented by Capital One.
After defeating the Irish to advance to the CFP title game, Saban called Smith a “talented guy” and “hard worker”.
“He does everything perfectly well,” said Saban. “He knows very well what he needs to do to make plays and does them whenever he can. So we are very lucky to have him.”
Saban, who is not inclined to make comparisons, said Smith did “as much this year for our team as any other player we’ve ever had”.
Jones, who shot for 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns this season, called Smith “the most electric player in college football”.
“He means a lot to us here in Alabama,” said Jones. “You can watch the games and see what kind of person he is with the way he plays. I’m just excited to be able to take the ball to him this year. He came back to try to win a national championship and improve his draft (action), and I feel like he did just that because he just opened up and made explosive moves. “
ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. lists Smith as the fourth best player on his Big Board and the number one ranked receiver.
With the Heisman Trophy in hand, the only thing left to do now is Smith to end his career the way it started: competing for a national championship game.
Smith is 1-1 in league games in his career. On Monday, he breaks the tie against Ohio.