Scored winning TD in OT of 2017 CFP National Championship game
Two-time CFP National Champion, 2017, 2020
CFP National Championship MVP, 2020
Heisman Trophy, 2020
Maxwell Award, 2020
Walter Camp Award, 2020
Biletnikoff Award, 2020
Paul Hornung Award, 2020
AP College Football Player of the Year, 2020
Unanimous All-American, 2020
SEC, Offensive Player of the Year, 2020
Two-time, First-team, All-SEC, 2019, 2020
By Lenn Robbins
Have these words ever been written about a Heisman Trophy winner? A two-time national champion? Doubtful.
Truth is Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith has a way of flying a bit under the radar. In the 2017 CFP National Championship game, it was Smith, a true freshman, who caught the winning touchdown pass in overtime, giving Alabama a 26-23 victory.
In the 2021, it was Smith who was the third wide receiver and fourth pass catcher drafted. And this offseason the Eagles opted to bring in another elite receiver – A.J. Brown - who possesses many of the same traits as Smith.
One gets the feeling in this season of cautious expectations for the Eagles, it will be Smith who makes the biggest plays of the season.
"I'm excited, just to learn from a guy like him,” Smith said. “Anytime you play football, you watch all the different receivers, just seeing what everybody has in their toolbox. So him being here, just being able to learn from him [is good]."
Smith has to very good himself or he wouldn’t have started at Alabama as a true freshman. And he wouldn’t have been the No.10 overall pick in the 2021 draft, even though LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and his Bama teammate Jaylen Waddle went before him (in addition to Florida TE Kyle Pitts.
Smith isn’t yet mentioned in the same breath as Chase, Waddle, Justin Jefferson and Cooper Kupp. That could change after his second season in the NFL. It seems like being just slightly under the radar works out great for Smith.