“It’s just the mental part of it”: Jalen Hurts' former Alabama teammate Devonta Smith reveals how much the Eagles star has evolved

Devonta Smith will be out once again to add the Super Bowl to his impressive list of accolades. He will become the fourth individual in history to win the national championship, Heisman Trophy and the Super Bowl if the Philadelphia Eagles overcome the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ahead of the crucial championship game at the Caesars Superdome, Devonta Smith answered a question on Jalen Hurts' evolution over the years in the Super Bowl opening night. Having played together at Alabama, they were reunited in 2021 when the Eagles drafted Smith.

“I think it’s just the mental part of it,” Smith said on Monday. “He’s constantly growing. He’s constantly being able to do a lot more.

"Like, every week he takes a step forward, like making protection calls and things like that, making sure us as receivers are going out there and doing the right thing.”

Smith and Hurts were teammates at Alabama during the 2017 and 2018 college football seasons. During that time, Smith recorded 12 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown on passes from Hurts, showcasing an early connection that would later be rekindled in the NFL.

Devonta Smith won’t trade his national championship for the Super Bowl

Devonta Smith won the national championship twice during his college career with the Crimson Tide. He’s just a game away from replicating such a feat on the professional level. Asked if he would trade his national championship titles for a Super Bowl, and his answer was blunt.

“Why I got to give up my national championships to take them down?” Smith said. “I don’t have to do that. I can just go out here and just do it and keep both of them.”

Smith played crucial roles in both of Alabama’s national championship victories during his college career. As a true freshman in the 2017 season, he entered the College Football Playoff title game with just seven receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns to his name.

However, he did something historic in the championship game against Georgia. While he caught only one pass in the game, it proved to be historic—a 41-yard touchdown from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in overtime that sealed Alabama’s dramatic 26-23 comeback victory.

Devonta Smith capped off his historic 2020 season—one in which he won the Heisman Trophy—with a dominant performance in the national championship game. In Alabama’s 52-24 victory over Ohio State, he recorded 12 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half.