Smith decided to attend the
United States Air Force Academy near
Colorado Springs, Colorado, after not receiving offers from his top four schools—
Iowa,
Texas A&M,
Southern Methodist, and
Texas Christian. Under then-head coach
Fisher DeBerry, Smith saw no varsity playing time in his freshman season, though did play for the program's junior varsity teams. In the 2007 season, Smith saw more playing time on the varsity squad under head coach
Troy Calhoun, though was still primarily a backup. He rushed once, for a six-yard gain. In the
2007 Armed Forces Bowl against the
California Golden Bears, Smith stepped in as quarterback in the third quarter after starter Shaun Carney left the game with an injury. After not completing his first career pass, Smith connected with wide receiver Travis Dekker for a 13-yard gain. He ended the game 45 yards passing and 33 yards rushing in the Falcons' 42–36 loss. He made six appearances during the season. Smith entered his senior year at Air Force, uncertain if he would be the starting quarterback. In his first collegiate start, Smith passed for 75 yards and one touchdown, as well as rushing for 91 yards and another score, en route 41–7 blowout win over
Southern Utah. Smith's first
top-20 opponent came on September 20, 2008, when Air Force faced in-conference opponents #20
Utah. He completed 7-of-13 passing for 138 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. However, Air Force lost their first game of the season, 30–23—rallying for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Midway through the season, however, Smith was benched in favor of freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson. After being demoted to second-string quarterback, Smith saw very little action throughout the remainder of the season including a bowl bid to the
2008 Armed Forces Bowl against
Houston, who Air Force had previously defeated 31–28 earlier in the season. Smith served as a graduate assistant coach for the Falcons, during the 2009 season, under Calhoun. == Career statistics ==