Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney did the unthinkable and added three college football players through the transfer portal during the offseason, including Tristan Smith. The rising junior wide receiver towered over his new teammates on the first day of spring practice over the weekend!
He looks every inch of 6-foot-5, but his work in the weight room this winter will be important as a skinny dude who wants to compete with SEC defenses come College Football Playoff time in December.
Smith, a former zero-star recruit, began his college football career with two seasons at Hutchinson Community College and caught 16 total passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games. Although his numbers did not jump out off of the page, there was a lot of potential for on-field growth at 6-foot-5 and Southeast Missouri State gave him the opportunity to transfer up. It was a great success.
Smith helped to lead the Redhawks to a first-place finish in the Big South-OVC Football Association with 76 catches for 934 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. His 84.9 receiving yards per game ranked inside the top-20 in the FCS last year.
Prior to this past offseason, since 2021, Clemson lost 43 players to the transfer portal and added only two reserve quarterbacks. That was it. Dabo Swinney whiffed on every single player he gave an offer, which were not few and far between to begin with.
That changed this year! The Tigers added three transfer players: former Alabama linebacker Jeremiah Alexander, former Purdue defensive lineman Will Heldt and Smith. Tristan Smith was the first non-quarterback transfer in school history to join the program through the transfer portal.
He arrived to campus at the beginning of the semester and will be with his new team for spring practice.
Clemson transfer portal WR Tristan Smith (80) at spring practice. You can certainly tell that he’s 6-foot-5 pic.twitter.com/BPKTz0GViI
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) February 28, 2025
At 6-foot-5, it is hard to miss him!
There are high expectations for Tristan Smith to be a factor in Clemson’s offense this fall. Especially when defenses give him a mismatch in the end zone.
Clemson transfer WR Tristan Smith (80) working on corner catches with offensive analyst Lonnie Galloway pic.twitter.com/a25BfoJk4G
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) March 3, 2025
Although his height sets him apart, literally, Smith is listed at 205 pounds — and that might be a stretch. The strength and conditioning staff in South Carolina will need to work with him to pack on some muscle over the next few months! Stay tuned for the inevitable body transformation…