TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – For the first time in 30 years, a wide receiver captured college football’s most prestigious award, the Heisman Memorial Trophy. Senior wide receiver DeVonta Smith was announced as the 86th winner during a virtual presentation in the Naylor Stone Media Suite on Tuesday evening on ESPN.
Smith tallied 1,856 points to surpass fellow teammate quarterback Mac Jones (1,130), along with quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence (1,187) of Clemson and Kyle Trask (737) of Florida. Smith and Jones mark the first pair of Southeastern Conference teammates to be named finalists since multiple candidates were invited to take part in the live show in 1982. Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris (216) finished fifth in the final vote.
“To all the 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 just because of my size,” Smith said. “Really, it just comes down to if you put your mind to it, you can do it. No job is too big.”
Smith joins running backs Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015) as the third player in Alabama history to win the Heisman Trophy.
The honor makes Smith the first non-quarterback to win the Heisman since Henry in 2015. He is also the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. Notre Dame’s Tim Brown (1987) and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers (1972) are the only other receivers in the modern era to win the award.
DeVonta Smith
Wide Receiver
- Leads the nation in receptions (105), receiving yards (1,641), receiving touchdowns (20) and all-purpose yards (1,912)
- Holds the Alabama single-season record for receiving scores while ranking second in both receiving yards and receptions
- Gone over 100 yards receiving in eight of 12 contests in 2020, including a pair of 200-plus yard performances highlighted by his 219-yard effort at LSU
- Just the third player in SEC history with 1,200 receiving yards in multiple seasons and the fourth Crimson Tide wideout to eclipse the 1,000-yard marker in multiple seasons
- Has been dominant in the Crimson Tide’s five games against ranked opponents, totaling 46 receptions for 715 yards and nine touchdowns
- Added nine punt returns for 219 yards and a touchdown to go with three kickoffs totaling 46 yards
Awarded since 1935, the Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. The winners of the trophy epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.
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