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This Day In Sports…January 5, 2021, five years ago today:
DeVonta Smith of Alabama becomes the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. The ceremony was a virtual one, delayed a month by the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith beat out three quarterbacks: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Crimson Tide teammate Mac Jones and Florida’s Kyle Trask. Each player appeared via satellite from his school. And the show originated from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, CT, instead of from a New York City venue as is the tradition. Smith accepted the award after practice on the Alabama campus.
Smith had an amazing season, with 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns—numbers that were not only Alabama records, but all-time SEC bests. They were capped by Smith’s 12 grabs for 215 yards and three TDs in Alabama’s 52-24 romp over Ohio State in the CFP Championship Game as the Crimson Tide finished a 13-0 season.
It’s been all quarterbacks since, with the obvious exception of Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who beat out Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in 2024. But what do we call Hunter, a wide receiver or a cornerback? He’s listed as both. In that case, he’s considered the first cornerback to win the Heisman Trophy since Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997. (Woodson was also the first defensive player ever to take the Heisman.)
Smith was taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Now in his sixth pro season, Smith’s career has been a solid one so far. He’s like a five-tool receiver (to borrow a baseball term): physicality, ability to take hits, very few drops, good routes and playmaking catches.
Smith caught a 46-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts that put the Eagles up 34-0 in their 40-22 beatdown of Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX last February. That win gave him a rare trifecta: a Heisman Trophy, a national title and a Super Bowl victory. Smith joined Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen, Woodson and Reggie Bush in that elite group. He’s hopeful of another ring as Philly opens the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers this week. Going into the playoffs, Smith has 74 catches for 956 yards and four touchdowns this season—his career totals now include 382 grabs for 4,967 yards and 31 TDs.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
