“He took a chance on me”: When former Alabama star DeVonta Smith shared insight into his relationship with Nick Saban

DeVonta Smith was one of the four players who won the Heisman Trophy under Nick Saban at Alabama. The wide receiver had a unique relationship with the coach during his time in Tuscaloosa, which was crucial to his success at the program and aided his overall growth.

Ahead of Super Bowl LV in February 2021, DeVonta Smith appeared on “First Take” to discuss his career with the Crimson Tide and offer his take on the Super Bowl game. The wide receiver had just wrapped up his college career with a national title and the Heisman Trophy in the preceding months.

DeVonta Smith was questioned about his unique relationship with Nick Saban during his days with the Crimson Tide. He explained how it all started and how much the coach trusted him with crucial responsibilities during his successful college career in Tuscaloosa.

“We have a great relationship from when he first started recruiting me, he just took a chance on me," Smith said (Timestamp 1:24). "A small kid from Amy, Louisiana, not the biggest, he just gave me the opportunity to come to the University of Alabama and do the things that I do.”

“I'm grateful for it and our relationship has just built since then with him just allowing me to be a part of the leadership group and just being a leader on the team and just helping do whatever I can to help the team get to where we want it to be.”

Nick Saban appreciated the contribution of DeVonta Smith at Alabama

During his four-year tenure at Alabama, DeVonta Smith made significant contributions to the program's success. He was pivotal to two national championship victories recorded by the Crimson Tide in that period, especially in his final year.

Following his Heisman Trophy win in December 2020, Nick Saban commended the immense contribution of the wide receiver to the program. His level of production on the field was outstanding, and the coach pointed that out.

“I don’t think we’ve had many players here that have had as much production as him,” Saban said. “Maybe if (Jaylen) Waddle doesn’t get hurt, he doesn’t have as much production. But you talk about a guy that kind of took the bull by the horns when that happened.

“It could’ve been a big negative for our team, but he didn’t skip a beat. He kind of took the weight of the world on his shoulders and did a marvelous job at handling every circumstance and situation that someone presented to him.

“I think it was really deserving. It’s a tough position to win the Heisman. But it couldn’t have been a more deserving player and I couldn’t have been happier for a player.”

DeVonta Smith ended his college football career at Alabama with 235 receptions for 3,965 yards and 46 touchdowns. Aside from the Heisman Trophy, he also earned the Biletnikoff Award, the Maxwell Award, SEC Offensive Player of the Year and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in 2020.