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Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Dishes on 6-foot-5 WR Decision
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- Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Dishes on 6-foot-5 WR Decision
The Clemson Tigers have long been known for their ability to churn out impressive NFL talent at the wide receiver position, and we just saw them place Antonio Williams in the third round of the NFL Draft this past April.
The 2026 campaign should be no exception, as Clemson's wide receiver room is once again loaded with talent.
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T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco represent the top two players in the group, and incoming four-star freshmen Naeem Burroughs , Gordon Sellars and Connor Salmin may also play significant roles for the squad.
Tyler Brown is returning for his redshirt junior season, as well, and then, there is Tristan Smith , who gained a fifth year of eligibility and will be suiting up for the Tigers this fall.
Things were a dicey for Smith for a while there, as he initially didn't appear to be eligible for 2026. But last month, a judge ruled that the 6-foot-5 pass-catcher could return to Clemson, which certainly made head coach Dabo Swinney happy.
"Just happy for him. Just super happy for him," Swinney said . "That's been a lot of stress for him, and his mom, too. So, just thankful that it went his way and he's going to get an opportunity to keep playing."
Clemson Tigers receiver Tristan Smith. Credit: Alex Martin-Imagn Images.
Smith arrived at Clemson in 2025 after transferring over from Southeast Missouri State . He caught 24 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown during his debut campaign with the Tigers.
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Swinney added that if Smith was deemed ineligible, he would have been on the staff.
"He was going to be here either way, and we had a good plan in place to keep training him," Swinney said. "He would be a student coach, because he still needs to graduate, so he still would have been able to get out there and run around and do stuff, and we'd just kind of develop him. But this is just a game-changer for him to be able to continue to play and put some film on tape and put some good play on tape. I'm really happy for him."
Smith actually began his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas back in 2022 and spent two years there before transferring to SE Missouri State. He hauled in 76 receptions for 934 yards and six scores for the Redhawks before jumping over to Clemson last season.
The LaGrange, Ga. native may find it difficult to get playing time this year given the amount of depth the Tigers have in their receiving corps, but his size could end up being a major difference-maker.
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