Wake Forest is mourning one of the most decorated defensive backs in program history.
Alphonso Smith, the former Demon Deacon standout and 2025 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame inductee, died on Sept. 2, 2026, the school announced. Smith still sits atop the ACC record book with 21 career interceptions and ranks second in Wake Forest history with 61 passes defended. He was also a central piece 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 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 pick from The Sporting News and Rivals.com, and later landed on The Sporting News ACC All-Freshman Team.
His biggest Wake Forest moment came in 2007, when he ripped off a 100-yard interception return against Maryland - the longest in school history - to help fuel a rally from a 24-3 deficit in a 31-24 overtime win. Smith finished that season with a school-record eight interceptions, the top total in both the NCAA and ACC.
That breakout year brought a wave of recognition: first-team All-ACC, second-team All-American from Walter Camp, third-team All-American from the Associated Press and honorable mention All-American from Sports Illustrated.
Smith closed out his Wake Forest career in 2008 with seven interceptions and first-team All-ACC honors for the second straight year. He was also named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association, Walter Camp and CBS Sports.
His play that season made him a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player.
Smith went on to be selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. His NFL career also included a three-year stint with the Detroit Lions, and he finished with 88 tackles, 19 pass deflections, eight interceptions, two defensive touchdowns and two fumbles forced.
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