DeVonta Smith, a former Alabama standout and current NFL player, was asked if he’s the greatest wide receiver in college football history during an appearance on the podcast “7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony.” Smith confidently replied, “I’d say yeah,” but also acknowledged the accomplishments of other great receivers who came before him.
Smith mentioned Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, and Justin Blackmon as examples of talented receivers who didn’t have the same opportunities he had. He expressed respect for these players, saying they “made me do what I did, like, take my receiver stuff to another level.”
Smith’s impressive college career is hard to argue with. As a member of Alabama’s 2020 undefeated national-championship team, he won numerous awards, including the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Biletnikoff Award, and Hornung Award. He was also a unanimous All-American and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
Smith’s stats are equally impressive. He had 117 receptions for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2020, setting SEC single-season records for yardage and touchdowns. He’s one of only two wide receivers, along with Michigan’s Desmond Howard, to win the Heisman, Maxwell, and Camp awards.
In citing top receivers who preceded him, Smith named two other former Alabama pass-catchers in Jones and Cooper. Jones had 179 receptions for 2,653 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide from 2008 through 2010, while Cooper had 228 receptions for 3,463 yards and 31 touchdowns from 2012 through 2014.
Smith played four seasons at Alabama, with a relatively quiet freshman year but exploding onto the scene in his next three seasons. He had 227 receptions for 3,805 yards and 43 touchdowns during that time, accounting for 27.2 percent of the receiving yards and 30.1 percent of the touchdown receptions for the Crimson Tide.
Jones set the Alabama single-season record for receiving yards with 1,133 in 2010, which Cooper broke with 1,727 in 2014. Smith then eclipsed that mark in 2020. A similar succession exists in the Tide’s single-game record for receiving yards, with Jones setting the mark with 221 against Tennessee in 2010, Cooper surpassing it with 224 against Tennessee and Auburn in 2014, and Smith taking over the top spot with 274 versus LSU in 2019.
Overall, DeVonta Smith’s case for being the greatest wide receiver in college football history is strong, but he’s also quick to acknowledge the accomplishments of other talented receivers who came before him.
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