Alabama’s DeVonta Smith wins Heisman Trophy

In an all-star Alabama team, DeVonta Smith became the best college football player. Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 seasons Tuesday night, breaking the monopoly of the quarterfinals for college football’s most prestigious award by beating three of them.

“I want to thank my teammates,” Smith said during his acceptance speech. “With team success comes individual success, so without all of you I wouldn’t be where I am today, winning this award.”

Smith finished with 447 votes for first place and 1856 points to easily outrun Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (222, 1187), Alabama teammate Mac Jones (138, 1130) and Florida’s Kyle Trask (61, 737).

The senior Crimson Tide is the fourth wide receiver to win the Heisman, joining Desmond Howard of Michigan in 1991, Tim Brown of Notre Dame in 1987 and Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska in 1972.

The quarterbacks had won 17 of the previous 20 Heisman trophies, including the last four.

Smith is the third Alabama player to win the Heisman, all since 2009. Like Tide’s running backs Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015), Smith will play in the national championship game as the Heisman winner. .

The Alabama No.1 will face the Ohio State No.3 on Jan. 11 in the College Football Playoff title game in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The Heisman vote ended on December 21, so playoff performances were not a factor. But Smith did those who backed him up with a brilliant three touchdown game against Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals last weekend.

Smith has 105 catches for 1,641 yards and 22 total touchdowns heading into the last game of his college career – which will also be his third national championship game.

Smith carved out a place in legendary Alabama history as a rookie, catching Tua Tagovailoa’s 41-yard winning touchdown pass in overtime against Georgia to give the Tide the 2017 National Championship.

Over the next two seasons, Smith was still often the overlooked star of Tide’s talented 2017 receiving class, which included All-Americans Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. Both of these players decided to skip their senior season and make the draft last year. Both were selected in the first round.

Smith returned to school to complete his degree and form an explosive suit for the Tide with junior Jaylen Waddle. Then, Waddle suffered a leg injury that ended the season on October 24.

As Tide’s undisputed No.1 receiver, Smith shone. The week after Waddle came out, Smith had 11 catches for 204 yards and four touchdowns against Mississippi State.

Smith’s one-handed TD surge against LSU was not just his signing game, but one of the best of the 2020 season.

A former four-star rookie from Amite, Louisiana, Smith came to Tuscaloosa from the backyard of LSU, disappointing many Tigers fans in his hometown.

He only had seven receptions as a rookie, and although he scored the winning touchdown in the national title game, the story of the game was the guy who threw it.

Tagovailoa was Alabama’s Heisman candidate for the next two years.

The low-key Smith quietly led the Tide in receptions and yards last year as a junior and became a second All-American team.

Smitty – as his teammates and coaches call him – didn’t appear as a contender for Hesiman this season until Waddle fell.

Starting with this Mississippi State game, Smith experienced a four-game tear with 35 catches for 749 yards and 11 touchdowns that solidified another nickname for the 6-1 / 1, 175-pound technician: the Slim Reaper. .