Smith was born on November 29, 2005 in
Miami Gardens, Florida. At seven years old, Smith tried out for the Miami Gardens Ravens youth football team but did not make the cut, an event hailed as a defining moment for Smith and his father, Chris, regarding his football career. The event caused Smith to begin taking training more seriously. The next year, Smith made the league winning its own version of the
Heisman Trophy. Smith later attended
Miami Central Senior High School before later transferring to
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in
Hollywood, Florida. He had 31 receptions for 667 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore season. He caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior. He also won the
FHSAA Class 2A state championship in the 110 and the 400-meter hurdles during his junior year. During his senior season, Smith was named an All-American and won the
All-American Bowl Player of the Year Award. Smith was rated a five-star recruit and the top ranked prospect of the incoming 2024
college football class. He was the highest ranked wide receiver recruit in the modern recruiting era (2000–present), surpassing
Dorial Green-Beckham and
Julio Jones. Smith committed to play for
Ohio State over offers from
Florida,
Florida State,
Georgia,
Miami, and
USC. ==College career==