Alabama Football: DeVonta Smith deserves Heisman consideration

DeVonta Smith deserves Heisman consideration for what he’s done with Alabama football.

We have seen plenty of great wide receivers in Alabama football history. The Saban era alone has seen five first-round receivers so far. However, we are witnessing the best season from an Alabama receiver ever.

Smitty is smashing career records, and he might break some single-season records as well. Even with a shortened season, Smitty will likely end the year with the single-season record for receiving touchdowns. If he keeps up at this crazy pace, he will approach Amari Cooper’s record for receiving yards in a single season. What he is doing is unprecedented, and it is even more special when you consider the other weapons that Alabama has at its disposal.

With that in mind, there must be a discussion about Smitty in the Heisman race. His stats are earth-shattering when you consider who he is facing. In a short season with only SEC games, Smitty has thrived in every game. Against LSU, he thrived against all defensive backs. While Derek Stingley Jr. was not always the key defender, Smith scored over him in the second half.

All of this proves that DeVonta Smith is elite, but there are plenty of elite players in college football. The Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the best player in college football. Is Smith just that?

This can be debated, but he has to be in the conversation. He is easily having the best season from a skill player, but there are plenty of people in the Heisman race. Mac Jones might be the frontrunner, and Kyle Trask is also at the top of the rankings. Even Najee Harris has done enough to earn votes.

At the end of the day, what does the Heisman race boil down to? Almost always, it goes to the quarterback having the best season on a quality team. If they use that to determine the winner, Alabama football’s best chance of winning the trophy is Mac Jones. That’s why Smith will likely lose the Heisman. That being said, he has to be in the conversation. Some will argue that he should win the Heisman. That is debatable, but there is no doubt that he deserves consideration.

If the Heisman truly went to the best player in college football, I would expect Smith to win it. However, it will likely be determined in the SEC Championship.