Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley said recently that Tristan Smith has flashed during spring ball.

Head coach Dabo Swinney said the same thing about the transfer wide receiver, who has drawn plenty of positive reviews in his first spring with the Tigers.

“He’s flashed all spring,” Swinney said of Smith following Clemson’s second scrimmage of spring practice on March 26.

Smith transferred to Clemson after a stellar 2024 season at Southeast Missouri State, where he was a second-team Big South-OVC Football Association all-conference selection after catching 76 passes for 934 yards and six touchdown receptions in 11 games.

There’s a learning curve for Smith as he’s tasked with picking up a new offensive system on the fly, but Swinney expects him to make a lot of progress over the course of the summer and fall camp before the 2025 campaign rolls around.

“He just needs to get through spring, get exposed to everything, and then after spring, really go back through everything at a little bit of a different pace for him,” Swinney said. “Now that it’s not going to be the first time he’s heard it, and he goes back through it, matches it up with the tape, I think he’ll make a big stride. And then he needs a big summer – skills and drills, and just timing.”

Added Swinney: “I’ve been really pleased with some of the plays that he’s made, and then he’s had some others that I think sometimes it’s fast and he’s just thinking, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ So, I think he’ll get through that this summer, and I really anticipate him making a big jump by the time we get through fall camp. I really do.”

Swinney said Smith’s “confidence has grown” through the spring.  

“But you put in a whole offense and you’ve got a bunch of veteran guys out there, and he’s the guy rolling in that’s new,” Swinney said.

Last season, Smith’s 76 receptions and 84.9 receiving yards per game ranked among the top 20 in the FCS. He posted three 100-yard receiving games and tallied career highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (139) while scoring a touchdown against Illinois State in the first round of the 2024 FCS playoffs.

Prior to his time at Southeast Missouri State, Smith spent two years at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College from 2022-23. He had 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in 10 games in 2023 after catching two passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in seven games as a freshman in 2022.

Swinney explained why the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder has stood out in spring practice.

“He just catches your eye because he’s long and he runs well,” Swinney said. “But what I like about him is he – some guys are big, but they don’t use their body and play big – and he can do that.”

Swinney loves Smith, and Smith is loving Clemson, according to his head coach.

“I really love that kid,” Swinney said. “He’s very mature. He’s very serious about it. He’s like the happiest guy on the team. He’s just really, really happy. He’s had a tough journey. He’s just really happy to be at a place like Clemson, and it’s been awesome.”