Former University of Alabama wide receiver and current Philadelphia Eagles star DeVonta Smith did the unthinkable right now. He's thrust himself into Heisman Trophy talks by setting records in every game he played, and set himself up for success before heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
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Originally a four-star recruit from Amite High School in Amite, Louisiana, Smith turned himself into the best receiver in college football that year, despite standing 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Needless to say, he was a big reason why the Crimson Tide were crowned National Champions in 2021. How do we know that? Because DeVonta Smith hung 215 yards on Ohio State. That's insane, even by Alabama Crimson Tide standards. Seriously, that has to be a long-standing college football playoff record.
Despite Alabama football players like Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, Jerry Jeudy and Calvin Ridley showing off in the NFL, Smith might just be better than all of them while playing in Tuscaloosa. And while we've seen him pull off the same kind of plays alongside Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown (Thanks, Tennessee Titans) in the NFC Championship game, he's primed to explode in the Super Bowl. So, why not take a look back at his time in Alabama with Tua Tagovailoa and the other first-team Alabama superstars?
DeVonta Smith: Alabama's Best All-Time WR?
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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DeVonta Smith wasn't even finished with his senior season before he owned Alabama career records for receiving yards (3,620) and receiving touchdowns (40). Amari Cooper, Smith's biggest competition for Alabama's wide receiver GOAT, only played three seasons but finished with 3,463 yards and 31 receiving touchdowns. He probably would've had closer to 5,000 and 45 in those respective categories if he stayed another year.
The answer to this is definitively:
5. Calvin Ridley
4. Henry Ruggs III
3. Amari Cooper
2. Julio Jones
1. DeVonta Smith https://t.co/cJycsb0ZSM— Matt Scalici (@MattScalici) December 15, 2020
Here's the thing, though.
DeVonta had the best season any Alabama wide receiver has ever had. His 23 single-season touchdowns blew everyon away. He notched 1,856 receiving yards, surpassing Cooper's 1,727 receiving yards in 2014.
Just look at some of these games from this year.
- At Ole Miss: 13 receptions, 164 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
- Georgia: 11 receptions, 167 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
- Mississippi State: 11 receptions, 203 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns
- Kentucky: 9 receptions, 144 receiving yards, 2 touchdown
- Auburn: 7 receptions, 171 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
- At LSU: 8 receptions, 231 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
- Florida: 15 receptions, 184 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Even single-game records all belong to DeVonta Smith. Last year's 274-yard, 5-touchdown performance against Ole Miss is a program best. He torched LSU for 213 in 2019, then put up 231 against the Tigers in 2020.
And for anyone trying to say DeVonta wasn't as talented as Amari and Julio because of his size, I have one clip for you:
DEVONTA SMITH IS RIDICULOUS pic.twitter.com/NhCkPJAccB
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 6, 2020
That will be Smith's statue pose right there.
Wait, I'm not done. DeVonta Smith also was one-half of arguably the best play in Alabama's history.
In all seriousness, Alabama fans should consider DeVonta Smith to be the GOAT 'Bama wideout. He made the entire Alabama offense around him more potent. Jaylen Waddle would've thrived, too, had he not gotten injured so early. They were the best the NCAA had to offer and that was apparent in the National Championship game and beyond. IT didn't matter if it was against Texas A&M, TCU, or the Georgia Bulldogs, DeVonta Smith was ready to get open for a touchdown pass at a moment's notice.
Smith and his single-game record 15 receptions is a big reason why 'Bama and head coach Nick Saban won a slugfest against the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game. But in all seriousness, it's hard to not look at DeVonta Smith's body of work and scream "Roll Tide!"
And with Jalen Hurts slinging passes to him in Philly, it's possible Northerners start adopting the iconic phrase too.
