Smith, was the Executive Director at the high school Alex attended, Helix High School, until June 30, 2010.[1] His uncle is John L. His second cousin is New York Mets first baseman Chris Shelton. Born in Seattle, Smith grew up in La Mesa, California. As a starter at Helix during his junior and senior years Smith led his team to a record of 25-1, including two San Diego CIF section championships. H
e was named to the first-team all-conference and all-county squads in the San Diego CIF system. Smith also earned the conference offensive player of the year twice, and twice won the team MVP for Helix. During his time at Helix, Smith set a school record by throwing for six touchdowns in one game, and recorded the second-highest completion percentage in San Diego CIF history. While at Helix, he played with 2005 Heisman Trophy winner (since vacated) Reggie Bush. Smith and Bush were later finalists for the 2004 Heisman, making it the first time a high school had two finalists at the same ceremony. Smith was president of his senior class in high school, and was also an excellent student who graduated with a 4.4 GPA one semester early by earning college credits through a program with San Diego State University and a dozen Advanced Placement tests.
