DeVonta Smith was a guest on the “7PM in Brooklyn” Podcast this week, and he discussed two factors he felt played major roles in his decision to play for Alabama football.
Smith was a talented wideout prospect out of Amite, Louisiana when he signed with the Crimson Tide. He had plenty of options to choose from before ultimately choosing Alabama.
The Louisiana native revealed Jalen Hurts and the Tide’s former running back coach, Burton Burns, played significant roles in his decision.
“It was two reasons I went to Alabama,” Smith said. “Jalen (Hurts) was one reason, and coach (Burton) Burns was the other reason. Every time I went up there, I was with Jalen. At that time, that’s all I knew, Jalen…So just being there, I was comfortable with him, knowing that, okay, if I do go, he’s gonna be the quarterback. He’s somebody I can relate to, somebody I have a relationship with. So I was like, okay, I’m cool there. And then it was just like, end of the day, it’s football. We two guys had the same mindset. We’re here to dominate, we here to play football. We not with all the extra stuff. And I think that’s why the relationship was so good. And the conversations that we have, whether it’s, you know, uncomfortable conversations nobody getting in their feelings because we have that relationship.”
The bond Hurts and Smith started and built on at Alabama made getting drafted by the Eagles a special moment for the wide receiver.
“When I got drafted to Philly, man, I was happy as hell.”
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
