Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said earlier this spring that Tristan Smith is the “happiest guy on the team” after joining the Tigers this offseason.

Backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina echoed that sentiment about the talented wide receiver, who transferred to Clemson after a stellar 2024 season at Southeast Missouri State.

“Number one, he’s a great guy,” Vizzina said of Smith this week, ahead of Saturday’s Orange vs. White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium.

“He came in here – I think Coach Swinney said this – he’s like the happiest guy. Like, you can tell this is genuinely something he really wanted to do, and he’s happy to be here.”

Last season at Southeast Missouri State, Smith 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.

Vizzina has been able to hook up with Smith for big plays during spring ball, thanks in large part to the size that the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Smith possesses.

Smith is long and runs well, and Vizzina likened him to the type of big-bodied pass catcher that Clemson’s receiving corps has often featured over the years.

“He’s like 6-5. He’s kind of that traditional Clemson receiver I grew up watching,” Vizzina said. “So, to throw to him is really exciting. We had a couple big connections in the scrimmages, just because he’s a big target.”

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.

Smith, who has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, has flashed throughout spring practice and drawn plenty of positive reviews this spring.

Vizzina believes he has the chance to make a major impact for the Tigers in 2025.

“The way he runs routes, the way he just wants to learn, I can really see him being a big-time player for us,” Vizzina said.