The nearly three-decade drought of big receivers who failed to win the Heisman Trophy ended when Alabama senior DeVonta Smith received the award during a virtual ceremony Tuesday night.
Smith is the third Alabama player to win the most prestigious college football award and the first receiver to win it from Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. Smith beat three other finalists, all quarterbacks: 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 first, 1,187 points) finished second in the vote, followed by Jones (138, 1,130) and Trask (61, 737).
Smith leads the FBS in receptions (105), receiving yards (1,641) and receiving touchdowns (20). He has dropped just two passes all season.
Like Howard, however, Smith is more than a receiver. He rushed for a touchdown and came back one point for another score this season. Along the way, he set an SEC record for race touchdowns and an Alabama record for race reception 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 fell to the ground in high school and did push-ups every time he saw his reflex because he thought he was too young to play college football.
“Tay-Tay,” as it is known at home, became stronger, but remained a relative featherweight of 6 feet-1 and 175 pounds. Because of his poor build, strong hands, and skill as a road runner, he would make comparisons to 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 achieved national recognition when he achieved the winning pass in the 2018 CFP title match overtime against Georgia. The iconic play, known forever as “2nd and 26th,” could have defined his career, but the reserved Smith dodged it whenever it came up. As I would say later, “I don’t care too much about catching anymore. It’s a new year. Let’s move on.”
However, as a second year, the injuries hampered his development and he was largely overshadowed by the appearance of teammates and receiving star teammates 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 changed all that. Jeudy and Ruggs left for the NFL and Waddle, who was one of the most dynamic game creators in college football, lost an ankle injury four games into the season.
Smith wasn’t even on Heisman’s odds table at Caesars Sportsbook until Waddle was injured in late October, where he was destined for 60-1. But with Waddle offside, Smith became the focal point of the passing game and stood out in the spotlight.
One week after Waddle’s injury, Smith scored four touchdowns in a win over Mississippi State. He would score a couple 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 has excelled in the postseason game, finding the end zone twice against Florida in the SEC championship and three more times against Notre Dame during the CFP semifinals in The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One.
After beating the Irish to move on to the PCP title game, Saban called Smith a “talented boy” and a “worker.”
“He does everything exactly right,” Saban said. “He has a good understanding of what he has to do to do plays and gives them every chance he has. So we’re very lucky to have him.”
Saban, who is not prone to comparisons, said Smith has done “both this year for our team and any player we’ve ever had.”
Jones, who threw 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns this season, told Smith “the most electric player in college football.”
“He means the most to us in Alabama,” Jones said. “You can watch the games and see it, what kind of person is with how he plays. I’ve been very excited just to be able to get the ball to him this year. He came back to try to win a national championship and improve his draft (stock) , and I think he did exactly that because he just opened up and made explosive plays. “
ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. lists Smith as his Big Board’s fourth-best player and No. 1 receiver.
Heisman Trophy in hand, the only thing left to do now is for Smith to finish his career as he started: competing for a national championship game.
Smith is 1-1 in championship games of his career. On Monday, he will break this tie against Ohio State.