Alexander Douglas Smith was born in Bremerton, Washington on 7 May. He grew up in La Mesa, California, in 1984, where his father, Douglas D. Smith, was the executive director at Helix High School, which he also attended. As a starter for the H elix Highlanders during his junior and senior years, Smith led his team to a 25-1 record, including two CIF section championships in San Diego. He was named to the first team all-conference and all-district teams in the San Diego CIF system. Smith was also a two-time Conference Offensive Player of the Year honoree and a two-time team MVP for Helix. During his time at Helix, Smith set a school record with six touchdowns in a single game and recorded the second-highest completion percentage in San Diego CIF history. While at Helix, he played with 2005 Heisman Trophy winner (since left ) 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.