Tristan Smith’s journey to Clemson has been different than most.
The 6-foot-5 wideout didn’t sign with the Tigers coming out of high school like most every other player on the roster. Smith spent his first two years playing at the JUCO level with Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.
He then spent a season at Southeast Missouri State, helping the Redhawks to a first-place finish in the Big South-OVC Football Association and a berth in the FCS playoffs.
Then, in December, Smith signed with Clemson after entering the transfer portal, and it didn’t take long for the veteran receiver to learn the competition at this level was a little different.
“Just coming here, everybody is good,” Smith said. “All of our receivers, they are route runners, got great hands. So I am not coming to something where I am the best player.”
Being a receiver, one of the first things Smith did was get more acquainted with quarterback Cade Klubnik.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Smith said. “Really before spring practice even started, we were out there just throwing. Trying to learn the playbook. Trying to find places where he could put the ball on me so I can jump up and get it.”
While Smith had long admired Klubnik from afar, and even played the new EA Sports College Football game using Clemson and Klubnik as his quarterback, meeting him in person for the first time left the transfer receiver a little awestruck.
“I’m not going to lie, I was kind of starstruck the first time, just kind of seeing him,” Smith said. “As I got to know him as a person and stuff, he’s a really cool individual. A really great guy.”
Turns out, the two live in the same neighborhood, so building a relationship has been easy.
“That came kind of naturally, Smith added. “Cade stays two houses down from me. So I see him leaving the house, he sees me leaving the house. We talk every day.”
While the chemistry is certainly there between the two, Smith is still settling in at his new school. Learning an entirely new offense has proved to be challenging, but it’s something Smith has done before. And he is confident he will do it again.
“It’s been really stressful,” Smith said. “I don’t have a ot of free time on my hands, but the free time that I do have, I am getting in my playbook every day. Watching film. Watching extra film. And sometimes that might not even be enough.
“But I struggles the same when I got to SEMO, just knowing the playbook, knowing the routes, knowing what spot to be in. But as time developed through the summer and fall camp, I became really known with the plays and I feel like it’s going to be the same way here.”
Photo courtesy of Dawson Powers