Two of the top six receiving games in Alabama football history belong to junior DeVonta Smith within the last month and a half.

On Saturday against LSU, he became the second Crimson Tide wideout with multiple 200-yard games in a season, joining Amari Cooper in 2014. His 213 yards against the Tigers are the sixth-most in a game in school history, following his record-setting 274-yard day against Ole Miss on Sept. 28.

Smith, once viewed as a complement to fellow juniors Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, leads the team and ranks eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 934 yards this season – 180 more than Jeudy and 350 more than Ruggs.

“He presents us with a lot of things. He has great hands, very versatile, can run good routes,” sophomore cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. “He’s the whole package. He could turn any play to a big play, so he’s a special player.”

Senior safety Jared Mayden, who used to line up against Smith as a cornerback, said he has been impressed by Smith’s game since he got to Alabama. He specifically called out anyone who doesn’t place Smith on the same level as Jeudy and Ruggs.

“I feel like if you don’t know DeVonta Smith’s name by now, you still think he’s one of the lesser receivers or the third receivers in the corps, you probably need to wake up,” Mayden said. “ … He doesn’t take a lot of time running his routes, he gets into his routes. He blocks. He finishes his runs. He competes. He goes out in practice and competes, too. His hands, his jumping, I mean Smitty – he’s one of the top receivers in the nation.”

When Smith is given a play, he executes it quickly and adequately. He showed that on Alabama’s first offensive touchdown against LSU on Saturday.

Junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa clapped as if signaling for the snap, then looked to the sideline. Most of LSU’s defenders did the same. While their guard was down, Tagovailoa turned back to the center, clapped his hands again and threw down the left sideline to Smith, who had sprinted past the unsuspecting corner. 

“That’s just something that we worked on and the coaches wanted us to execute,” Smith said. “I think we did a good job of executing it.”

Smith’s season has him leading the SEC in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and ranked fifth nationally in touchdowns. He is the only player in the FBS with multiple 200-yard receiving games.

His second touchdown against LSU, an 85-yard catch down the sideline that kept Alabama’s hopes afloat for at least a few more seconds, was the 20th of his career, which passed Calvin Ridley for the fourth-most in school history.

When asked about his big numbers and if he has a chip on his shoulder to get out of his teammates’ shadows, Smith remains humble. 

“Right now, I’m just focusing on going into this game, playing the best that I can and doing whatever I can to help the team,” Smith said.