Heisman Trophy, national title, Super Bowl winner: Devonta Smith could join this elite club
Philadelphia wide receiver DeVonta Smith will have the opportunity to join an exclusive fraternity within the fraternity at Super Bowl 57 on Sunday.
The sophomore standout would become the fourth Heisman Trophy winner, who can also claim a college football national championship and a Super Bowl win if the Eagles beat the Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow nearly joined that group last year, but Cincinnati lost Super Bowl 56 to the Rams. Will Smith, who has 13 catches for 97 yards and a TD in two postseason games this season, be on the winning side?
MORE: Watch Super Bowl 57 Live With fuboTV (Free Trial)
Here’s a closer look at the exclusive club Smith could join:
DeVonta Smith: Heisman Winner, National Champion
Smith became a household name after catching the game-winning touchdown pass in the 2018 College Football Playoff Championship game against Georgia. He and Tua Tagovailoa tied in the second and 26th game of overtime on January 8, 2018.
Two years later, Smith won the Heisman Trophy thanks to a remarkable season: 117 catches, 1,856 yards and 23 TDs. He was the first receiver to win the Heisman since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991.
However, Smith was focused on a second national championship.
“That’s why I came to the University of Alabama — to win national championships,” Smith told The Sporting News that year. “Just one isn’t good enough. We’ll try to end it with another one.”
Smith confirmed this. He had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns to lead Alabama to a 52-20 win over Ohio State on January 11, 2021 in the CFP title game.
MORE: Eight absurd records broke by DeVonta Smith in 2020 Alabama national championship season
Three months later, the Eagles selected Smith with the number 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Winner of the Heisman Trophy in the Super Bowl
Ten players have won a Heisman Trophy and a Super Bowl. Paul Hornung (1956 Heisman winner) accomplished the feat in Super Bowl 1.
Two of these Heisman winners won multiple Super Bowls. Roger Staubach (1963) led the Cowboys to victories in Super Bowls 6 and 12. Jim Plunkett (1970) led the Raiders to victories in Super Bowls 15 and 18.
The other players who won the Heisman and the Super Bowl: John Huarte (1964, Super Bowl 4), Mike Garrett (1965, Super Bowl 4), Tony Dorsett (1976, Super Bowl 12), George Rogers (1980, Super Bowl 22), Marcus Allen (1981, Super Bowl 18), Desmond Howard (1991, Super Bowl 31), and Charles Woodson (1997, Super Bowl 45).
Players who have won the Heisman, a national championship, and a Super Bowl
Only three players have won the Heisman Trophy, a college football national championship, and a Super Bowl. This is the exclusive fraternity DeVonta Smith is trying to join:
Tony Dorset
Dorsett won the 1976 Heisman Trophy when he led Pitt to a national championship. Dorsett rushed for 2,150 yards and 22 touchdowns. The following season he was part of the Cowboys championship team. Dorsett rushed for 66 yards and a TD in Super Bowl 12.
Mark Allen
Allen was a freshman on the USC national championship team in 1978, assisting Charles White. He won the 1981 Heisman Trophy after rushing for 2,427 yards and 21 TDs. Allen then won Super Bowl 18 MVP for the Raiders when he rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Karl Woodson
Woodson became the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy with Michigan in 1997 and led the Wolverines to The Associated Press national championship that season. Woodson was a key player in the Packers’ defense when they won Super Bowl 45 in 2010.
Dorsett, Allen and Woodson have all made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is good company for Smith.
DeVonta Smith and Super Bowl MVP
Also, there’s that bonus: Staubach, Plunkett, and Allen are three of the four Heisman winners who were also Super Bowl MVPs.
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The last player to do that was Howard. He won the Heisman Trophy in Michigan in 1991 and was the Super Bowl 31 MVP for the Packers after his memorable 99-yard kickoff return for a TD led to a 35-21 win over the Patriots.
Smith is +3000 (30-1) to win Super Bowl MVP, so it’s possible he could join Howard as Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl winner, and Super Bowl MVP.
Super Bowl 57 MVP Odds
| player | opportunities |
| Jalen hurts | +135 |
| Patrick Mahomes II | +135 |
| Travis Kelce | +1200 |
| AJ Brown | +1600 |
| Miles Sanders | +3000 |
| De Vonta Smith | +3000 |
A wide receiver has won seven Super Bowl MVP honors in the past 20 years, including last year (Cooper Kupp of the Rams). If Smith has a big game, it’s possible he’ll join this fraternity as well.