One of the greats in college football has taken a liking to DeVonta Smith.
He has done a lot of impressive things in his career, but the Louisiana native has elevated even more as a senior.
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Smith chimes in with a pair of 100-yard games and leads Alabama football with 38 receptions this year for 483 yards and four touchdowns.
He is averaging 120.8 yards per contest, and is coming off a matchup against Georgia where he recorded a game-high 11 catches for 167 yards with two scores. Once a four-star recruit in the 2017 signing class, Smith has a way of making the hardest plays look routine.
In an interview with former college football legend, Reggie Bush, the analyst for Fox Sports believes no one can guard Smith.
He has been impressed with Smith’s routes, hands, toughness and competitive fire.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder told Bush that the culture of the Crimson Tide on offense is ‘winning your box.’
“I believe you can’t be guarded” ??@ReggieBush breaks down film with @DeVontaSmith_6 and discusses what makes the @AlabamaFTBL receiving group so special ✨? pic.twitter.com/BPeOqBYcYh
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 23, 2020
“Every week, it is about dominating the man in front of you,” Smith said. “The man you are going against, you have to dominate him all game. It’s not so much of you having to deal with him, but he has to deal with you.”
One of the plays from Smith against the Bulldogs that caught Bush’s attention was his 13-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Mac Jones put the pass in a spot for Smith to make a catch, and he elevated over Eric Stokes of Georgia to make a play.
When it comes to the chemistry of Jones with the receivers, Smith said everyone on offense trusts each other.
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“We are always talking about the things we see on the sidelines,” he said. “Mac just believes in us, no matter if it’s me, Metchie or Waddle. He just believes in us and he gives us a chance. We always tell Mac ‘if you throw it out of bounds, we don’t get a chance so it’s either us or nobody.’ If we don’t get, then we are going to make sure they don’t get it.”
For a room filled with talent, Alabama’s receivers do not compete about who gets the ball.
“We are all happy for each other,” Smith said. “Everybody knows it’s going to be games where it may not come to you or it may come to you, so you never know what to expect. What sticks out to me the most is that we don’t compete about who catches the most passes or gets the most yards, we compete about knock downs. We compete on who’s blocking the best. And I’ll say right now, I’ll give Metchie the edge. I think Metchie has the edge on the blocking right now, but that’s what we compete about the most.”
Metchie may have the edge in blocking, but Smith is closing in on becoming the all-time leader for touchdown receptions in school history. He currently has 27 scores, which has him in second place behind Amari Cooper (31).
The Tide has six more games remaining on its regular season schedule, so Smith will have a chance to capture the record. Of the big-play receivers to come through the program, he is blessed to have the opportunity to end his career at No. 1 for touchdown catches at Alabama.
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“If you would have asked me this three years ago, I probably would not be expecting to be doing this right now,” Smith said on trying to pass Cooper for most career touchdown catches. “It means a lot just going out there and seeing my name and knowing that I have come somewhere that the standard is high and I am playing to the standard.”
Smith and the rest of the “Rydeouts” for the Tide will face Tennessee on Saturday.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
