[2] As a sprinter, he recorded a personal-best time of 10.56 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the 2011 state meet, where he placed first.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Smith was rated as the 58th best wide receiver prospect of his class.

In the 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game, he caught 4 passes for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns, helping the Buckeyes to a 59–0 victory over Wisconsin.

1 Alabama 42–35, Smith had 2 receptions for 87 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown that put his team ahead for good early in the third quarter.

He also spent three spring seasons sprinting and jumping with the Buckeyes track & field team.

[13] On December 12, 2015, Smith suffered a knee injury and had to leave the Week 14 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

Two days later, it was revealed that he had suffered a torn ACL, bringing his rookie season to a premature end.

[18] On April 29, 2017, as the third day the 2017 NFL draft was in progress, it was revealed that Smith had suffered another torn ACL to the same knee.

[23] In Week 2, he played against the Washington Redskins because Tavon Austin was out with an injury, catching 3 passes for 74 yards, including his first reception since 2016, which was a 51-yard touchdown to open up five straight scoring drives.

In Week 3, he started against the Miami Dolphins in place of an injured Michael Gallup, registering 2 receptions for 39 yards.

After appearing in the first four contests of the season, he dropped on the depth chart and was declared inactive for 12 straight games, when the Cowboys opted to instead activate wide receiver Ventell Bryant for his special teams play.