DeVonta Smith dishes on how his 'no job is too small' approach developed early at Alabama

DeVonta Smith was the best player in college football when he left Alabama after the 2020 season, but early on in his college career, he was a receiver who excelled at doing the little things.

Smith had the mindset that he was going to do whatever it took to win football games, including being an excellent blocker.

He recently sat down with Ryan Clark on The Pivot Podcast and discussed how that mindset came about during his time at Alabama.

“The ‘no job too small,’ it’s simple,” Smith said. “You’re out there on the field, opportunities are limited. But as I got out there and playing, the simple things like a force block, cracking and things like that, we took pride in that in the receiver room at Alabama. That’s something that we did.”

DeVonta Smith caught only eight passes as a freshman in 2017, as Calvin Ridley was the go-to guy for the Crimson Tide. However, his role increased more and more as his college career went along.

As a senior in 2020, when he won the Heisman, Smith caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns. By that time, he was a true, all-around receiver.

“Especially us young guys, coming in, knowing that the ball’s going to go to Calvin. We know that. Calvin Ridley – that’s where the ball’s going,” Smith said. “So we get in there, that safety comes in the box, we’ve gotta go see him. Gotta go see what he’s about. So that was our thing, just going in there, forcing them to put us on the field some way.”

DeVonta Smith explains how Alabama’s loaded WR room fueled everyone to succeed

DeVonta Smith was a part of some legendary wide receiving corps at Alabama, and that’s helped fuel his football career into the NFL.

Running with guys like Calvin Ridley, Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy and Jaylen Waddle did nothing but help force Smith to get better. That he did, of course, capturing the Heisman Trophy for the Crimson Tide during his final season in Tuscaloosa.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, the former Alabama star explained how the Crimson Tide’s loaded wide receiver room fueled everyone to succeed.

“I think it brought the best out of all of us,” Smith said. “You know, everybody was different in like, the things that they did, but you see those guys, you see what they do and you’re like, ‘Okay. That’s something I want to put in my toolbox.’ Like everybody had their own way of route running. Their own way of getting open. Their own way of making things happen with the ball. So it was just kind of like, you see these guys and everyone’s excited for each other, and you’re like, ‘I want to maybe do that in my game.’ … So you just worked on it, you talked to those guys and everybody just helped each other out.”