College coaching Smith decided to take up coaching after his playing days were over, starting in various assistant capacities with several Division I colleges before moving on to the NFL:
San Diego State (1982–1985),
Morehead State (1986) and
Tennessee Tech (1987–1998).
Baltimore Ravens Smith's first NFL job was as defensive assistant/defensive line coach for the
Baltimore Ravens in 1999 under defensive line coach
Rex Ryan for three seasons. In 2002, Smith was promoted to linebackers' coach for head coach
Brian Billick, tutoring such future standouts as
Ray Lewis,
Peter Boulware,
Jamie Sharper and
Adalius Thomas, and in that capacity helped the 2000 Ravens win
Super Bowl XXXV.
Jacksonville Jaguars On January 21, 2003, Smith became the defensive coordinator of the
Jacksonville Jaguars under new head coach
Jack Del Rio.
Atlanta Falcons In 2008, Smith became head coach for the first time at any level, taking charge of the
Atlanta Falcons. He started off his first season by installing rookie
Matt Ryan as starting quarterback to open the season against the
Detroit Lions. In his debut as an NFL head coach, the Falcons beat the Lions 34–21. Atlanta's 216 yards of total offense in the first quarter was the highest in over two decades, eclipsing their October 13, 1991, mark of 172 yards against San Francisco. The first loss of the year against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was mitigated by winning Smith's first coach's challenge, on the spotting of the ball after a
Roddy White reception in the third quarter, giving the Falcons a first down and keeping the drive alive. Stars like
Michael Turner, Roddy White,
Michael Jenkins and
John Abraham helped carry the Falcons to an 11–5 record and their first playoff berth since 2004. In the Wild Card Round, the Falcons lost to the eventual NFC champions, the
Arizona Cardinals. Smith was named the 2008 AP Coach of the Year and
NFL Coach of the Year, beating out
Miami Dolphins head coach
Tony Sparano in the voting. In 2009, Smith and the Falcons overcame a difficult schedule and several key injuries (to QB Ryan and RB Turner) to end with a 9–7 record and second place in the NFC South. While they failed to reach the playoffs, this marked the first time in franchise history that the Falcons had consecutive winning seasons. In 2010, Smith led the Falcons to an NFC-best season record of 13–3, earning the team's second NFC South title and fourth divisional championship overall before being beaten at home by the eventual
Super Bowl XLV champion
Green Bay Packers by a score of 48–21 in the Divisional Round. In 2011, the Falcons finished 10–6 and qualified for the playoffs, but they lost in the Wild Card round to the eventual
Super Bowl XLVI champion
New York Giants. In 2012, Smith led the Falcons to a league-best 13–3 record and recorded his first win in the postseason as Falcons head coach, narrowly edging the
Seattle Seahawks 30–28 in the
2012 NFC Divisional Playoffs. With the win, Atlanta also made their third all-time appearance in the
NFC Championship Game and hosted the game for the first time in their history against the
San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons lost 28–24 despite a 17–0 lead in the second quarter. That same year, Smith earned his 50th win by defeating the
Philadelphia Eagles on October 28, passing
Dan Reeves as the best-performing coach in Falcons history by number of wins. Smith reached 50 wins in 71 games, which was good for third best all-time since the
AFL-NFL merger in 1970, surpassed only by
Chuck Knox who earned his 50th win in 65 games and by
George Seifert in 62 games. Smith was named
Sporting News 2012 Coach of the Year for the third time by a pool of 27 NFL coaches and executives. In 2013, the Falcons slumped to a 4–12 record, and Smith was eventually named the head coach of the North Team in the
2014 Senior Bowl. On December 28, 2014, multiple media outlets reported that the Falcons had hired Korn Ferry, a reputed firm, to assist in finding potential candidates to replace Smith should he be fired. Later that day, the Falcons lost to the
Carolina Panthers by a score of 34–3. The game determined the NFC South champion, despite both teams having a losing record. The next day, Smith was fired after two consecutive losing seasons as the Falcons finished the 2014 season with a 6–10 record.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers On January 15, 2016, Smith was named the defensive coordinator for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, under former assistant
Dirk Koetter, who was named the Buccaneers' head coach that same day. On October 15, 2018, Smith was fired after leading the Buccaneers to the league's worst defense through the first six weeks of the season.
College all-star games In January 2020, Smith coached Team Aina in the
Hula Bowl, a college football postseason all-star game. He returned as head coach of the same squad in 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2026, he participated in
The American Bowl as coach of the Warhawks.
Head coaching record ==Personal life==