Smith attended Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina. In high school, he played on both offense and defense. Offensively as a senior he carried the ball 66 times for 444 yards and 13 touchdowns along with returning two kickoffs for touchdowns. Defensively as a senior he tallied 74 tackles and six interceptions.[1] He committed to play football for the Clemson Tigers on August 31, 2013, choosing the Tigers over the likes of Penn State, Michigan, Duke, and several others.[2]
College career
As a true freshman in 2015, Smith played in 14 games, posting 19 tackles with one interception.[3]
In 2016, as a sophomore, Smith started all 15 of the Tigers' games. He tallied 95 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two pass deflections.[4]
As a junior in 2017, Smith played in 13 of Clemson's 14 games, missing one due to a knee injury.[5] In 13 games, he had 49 tackles, one interception, and one pass breakup.[6] After the season, Smith declared for the 2018 NFL draft.[7]