DeVonta Smith reveals where he stacks up in the pantheon of all-time Alabama receivers

DeVonta Smith is an Alabama legend. Nonetheless, the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver doesn’t claim he’s the greatest to ever do it for the Crimson Tide. Instead, Smith pays homage to those who came before him.

“I’m gonna always put Julio [Jones] first. Like, that’s a pioneer. That’s No. 1 for sure. You can’t do nothing about that,” Smith said on a recent episode of ‘The Pivot Podcast.’

Jones was an early spark in Nick Saban‘s fiery run through college football. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver joined Alabama in 2008, Saban’s second season at the helm of the program. Jones didn’t wait to make his impact, becoming the first true freshman WR ever to start in a season opener for the Crimson Tide.

The rest is history. Jones concluded his time at Alabama ranked second in career receptions (179) and receiving yards (2,653) in school history and fourth in touchdown catches (15). The Atlanta Falcons selected Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 Draft. Jones is a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

The case for Calvin Ridley

Jones wasn’t the only former Alabama wideout, Smith put above himself.

“I’d probably go with [Calvin Ridley],” Smith said. “Just coming in, watching [Ridley] do the things he did… He’s amazing. Unguardable, I don’t care who they put over there. They knew where the ball was going and there wasn’t nobody stopping it.”

In three seasons, Ridley outperformed Jones is nearly every category. The 6-foot-1 receiver finished second in UA history for receptions with 224 and receiving touchdowns (19) while ranking third in receiving yards with 2,781.

Despite Ridley’s superior collegiate statistics, he hasn’t matched Jones’ NFL efforts yet. Ridley is yet to reach a Pro Bowl and has only recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in a season once. In two NFL seasons, Smith has achieved the same feat.

Don’t forget about DeVonta Smith

However, this is an Alabama-exclusive debate. Unfortunately for Jones and Ridley, Smith was no slouch there, either. In fact, Smith finished as the Crimson Tide’s all-time leader in career receving yards and touchdowns.

Additionally, Smith became only the third Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy, joining running backs Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry. While Smith remained humble in his comments, perhaps Saban should be the one to make the rankings.

“I don’t know that we’ve had three players in the program over the 14 teams we’ve been a part of here that have had better competitive character, was a better leader on the team, or set a better example on and off the field for what you want to see people do for an opportunity to be successful,” Saban said in 2021. “In every way, as a player, in his production, his performance, the kind of person he was, the kind of character he had, you always root for guys that do all those things exactly right.”