Alabama Football Player Profile: Junior Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith

DeVonta Smith’s game-winning catch in the 2018 National Championship has already cemented his name in the record books, but let’s take an inside look at the Alabama Football’s Junior wide receiver.

DeVonta Smith enters his Junior season with the Alabama Football team this year and will again compete for passes among the Tide’s stacked wide receiver core. A 5-star recruit out of Louisiana, DeVonta Smith earned the title Most Outstanding Player after leading his team to the Class 3A state championship game. He brought his talents to Tuscaloosa choosing Alabama over LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, and TCU.

Smith made his big debut at the end of his freshman season with the overtime National Championship winning catch. During that season, he had only 8 receptions totaling 160 yards with 3 touchdowns. After proving his worth in the last game of his freshman year, he went on as a sophomore to earn 42 catches for 693 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Due to a nagging hamstring injury, he had the least number of receptions in the 2018 season compared to the other prominent wide receivers. Biletnikoff Award winner Jerry Jeudy recorded the most with 68, followed by Henry Ruggs at 46, and even freshman Jaylen Waddle edged out Smith with 45 catches.

Although a quiet, shy guy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs have built a great friendship during their time together in Tuscaloosa. They frequently joke and kid each other about which one is better at basketball or who can outrun whom in a race. While Ruggs is known for his speed, other players describe Smith as “smooth” who will catch anything coming his way. He practiced with the receivers and the defensive backs last season and uses the knowledge gained with the DBs to improve his play as a receiver.

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DeVonta Smith seems to have built a great relationship with head coach Nick Saban as well. At a recent Nick’s Kids golf tournament this summer, Saban had to give “Smitty” and a few others some pointers for their golf swings. Saban has also joked in interviews about Smitty not being able to cover him in practice.

DeVonta Smith comes across as one of those guys that everyone on the team likes. He has a few close friends, shows flexibility in practicing where the team needs him, and comes through in big-time moments in big-time games. With a healthy Junior season coming up, he should play a bigger role in the Alabama Football offense.

Yet nothing will ever compare to this moment made better with Titanic background music.

Alabama football fans will never move on from Smith’s national championship-winning catch. Devonta is different, his teammates say Smith quickly “moved on” to the next challenge.