After catching 105 passes for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has snared the Heisman Trophy.
The Crimson Tide star beat out quarterbacks Mac Jones (Alabama), Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and Kyle Trask (Florida) for college football’s top honor and is the first receiver to take home the award in 29 years.
He joins Michigan’s Desmond Howard, Notre Dame’s Tim Brown and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers as the only receivers in history to win the Heisman.
“I want to thank my teammates,” Smith said during his acceptance speech. “With team success comes individual success so without you all, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, winning this award. To all the young kids out there that’s not the biggest, not the strongest, just keep pushing. Because I’m not the biggest. I’ve been doubted a lot because of my size and, really, it’s just comes down to you just put your mind to it, no job’s too big.”
Nicknamed Slim Reaper after going on a four-game tear earlier this season where he racked up 35 catches for 749 yards and 11 touchdowns, Smith will play in his third national championship game on Monday night when the Crimson Tide take on the Buckeyes of Ohio State.
The Buckeyes (7-0) will have a tough task slowing down the Crimson Tide (12-0) offense and Smith, who had a three-touchdown game against Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals last weekend.
Surprisingly, Smith joins Tide running backs Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015) as just the third Alabama player to win the Heisman. Like Smith, Ingram and Henry both played for the national championship as Heisman winners.
In addition to the Heisman, the 22-year-old also won the Paul Hornung Award, recognizing him as college football’s most versatile player.
In 2014, ESPN estimated winning the Heisman alone was worth a minimum $800,000 over the course of the winner’s lifetime.
Smith will likely earn substantially more than that with his rookie contract in the NFL as last year’s winner, Joe Burrow, signed a four-year, $36.1 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals after being selected No. 1 overall.
While Smith won’t go first as Lawrence is viewed as the consensus top pick (though that may change if Justin Fields shows well in Monday’s championship game against Alabama), he will certainly go in the top 10 and probably top five in April’s draft.
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