Wake Forest is mourning one of the most decorated defenders in its football history.
Alphonso Smith, a 2025 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame inductee and one of the ACC’s all-time ballhawks, died on Sept. 2, 2026. He leaves behind a Wake Forest legacy built on interceptions, big plays and a knack for changing games at the biggest moments.
Smith still stands as the ACC career leader with 21 interceptions, and he ranks second in Wake Forest history with 61 passes defended. He was also an important part of the 2006 ACC Championship team.
“First and foremost, I am heartbroken,” said Wake Forest Sports Hall of Famer Jim Grobe. “Alphonso was one of those special people that every time you saw him, he had a big smile on his face and he just made you feel better to be around him.
And he was obviously a great football player, too. I just loved him and he was great to have on our football team.
The team loved him, and he was a difference maker. He won a bunch of games for us and he made a lot of plays, especially late in the fourth quarter that turned games around and won games for us.
He was an instinctive player. But, the No. 1 attribute I remember about Alphonso is his smile.
He was a blessing for us.”
Smith arrived at Wake Forest in 2005 and made an immediate impact, earning first-team Freshman All-American honors from CollegeFootballNews.com, ESPN.com and Scout.com. He was also a second-team Freshman All-American selection by The Sporting News and Rivals.com, and finished that freshman year on the Sporting News ACC All-Freshman Team.
His most famous moment came as a junior in 2007, when he returned an interception 100 yards against Maryland - the longest return in school history. That play helped fuel Wake Forest’s comeback from a 24-3 deficit in a 31-24 overtime win over the Terrapins. Smith finished that season with a school-record eight interceptions, the top total in both the NCAA and ACC.
The accolades piled up after that. Smith earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2007, along with second-team All-American recognition from Walter Camp, third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press and honorable mention All-American status from Sports Illustrated.
He wrapped up his Wake Forest career in 2008 with seven more interceptions and another first-team All-ACC nod, his second straight. That season also brought first-team All-American recognition from the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association, Walter Camp and CBS Sports.
Smith was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player.
The Denver Broncos selected him in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and his pro career also included three seasons with the Detroit Lions. In the NFL, he finished with 88 tackles, 19 pass deflections, eight interceptions, two defensive touchdowns and two fumbles forced.
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