Smith grew up in Augusta, Georgia and attended Grovetown High School, where he was a member of the football and wrestling teams.
[1] After being named second-team All-Area and All-Region as a junior, Smith committed to play college football at Appalachian State.
[2] During his senior season, he decommitted from Appalachian State and ultimately signed to play at East Carolina.
[3] Smith sustained a season-ending injury in the opening game of his freshman season and used a medical redshirt.
Smith remained as the backup left tackle for the 2023 season, this time backing up Orlando Brown Jr., who the Bengals had signed in free agency.