Alabama senior wide receiver DeVonta Smith was named the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner on Tuesday with 447 first-place votes and 1,856 total points.
“To all the young kids out there that’s not the biggest, not the strongest: Just keep pushing,” Smith said in his acceptance speech. “I’m not the biggest ― I’ve been doubted a lot because of my size. It just comes down to, if put your mind to it, you can do it. No job is too big.”
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Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence came in second with 1,187 points, followed by Smith’s teammate Mac Jones in third with 1,130 and then Florida’s Kyle Trask with 737.
Smith, an AP All-American first-team selection, became just the fourth wide receiver to win the Heisman and the first since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991.
An Amite, La., native, Smith reeled in 105 catches for 1,641 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in 12 games, including a 31-14 win against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Alabama will play Ohio State in the CFP National Championship on Jan. 11.
Smith, who set the all-time record for receiving yards at Alabama this season, is the third Crimson Tide player to win the award, joining Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015).
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How Smith won
Aaron Suttles, Alabama beat writer: Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy and his toughest competition might not have been from the Georgia or Texas A&M defenses. His biggest hurdle was his teammate, Jones.
Smith played his best games against the Crimson Tide's biggest opponents, and he only got better and better when Jaylen Waddle was lost midway through the season with an ankle injury. That's why Smith became the first wide receiver to win the award since 1991. For a player slight in frame, his game was anything but.
The rarity of a WR winning
Stewart Mandel, college football editor-in-chief: I’ve been a Heisman voter since 2004, and Smith was only the fourth receiver who’s ever made my ballot (the previous ones were Michael Crabtree, Justin Blackmon and Marqise Lee) and the first I had No. 1. The challenge for receivers is that even the best ones don’t necessarily have huge impacts every game, whereas QBs touch the ball on every play. It’s a credit to Smith, who dominated nearly every week, especially in Alabama’s biggest games.
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Does this open the door for future WRs to win the Heisman?
Mandel: We do seem to be in the midst of a run of incredibly skilled receivers, like LSU’s last year and Alabama’s since 2018. But every season brings a different set of circumstances. This year’s lined up in Smith’s favor, starting with the fact Jones didn’t start out a Heisman candidate like Tua Tagovailoa would have. Lawrence missed his team’s biggest game, Trask lost his last two and Justin Fields had a stinker in the Big Ten title game. Most years, it will probably still be a QB.
(Photo: Gary Cosby / USA Today)
Heisman voting for the top 10:
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1346644717669412865
Smith sent out a message to all the young kids looking up to him during his acceptance speech:
DeVonta Smith: "To all the young kids out there that are not the biggest, not the strongest–keep pushing, 'cause I'm not the biggest–I've been doubted a lot bc of my size. It just comes down to, if put your mind to it, you can do it. No job is too big. Keep believin' in God."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 6, 2021
Smith poses with the trophy:
Mr. Heisman @DeVontaSmith_6 pic.twitter.com/PBzFc0ItLY
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) January 6, 2021