One of three players Clemson added via the transfer portal ahead of the 2025 season is Tristan Smith.

Smith drew plenty of positive reviews from his new Clemson teammates and coaches over the offseason, but through the first four games this season, the senior wide receiver has only played a total of 29 snaps.

So, what does Smith need to do in order to get on the field more moving forward? Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was asked that question when he met with the media Tuesday.

Smith has done “a lot better job” with the details in practice, according to Riley, who says he expects Smith to see more and more snaps as the season progresses because he’s “starting to earning more trust.”

“He’s really done a lot better job in the last couple of weeks of just some of the detail things, what we ask him to do in practice, and some of the consistency that way,” Riley said.

“So, I think he’s starting to earn more trust just from a consistency level of knowing what to do and assignment wise,” Riley added. “So, I definitely look to see him getting more and more as this season goes on.”

Smith joined the Tigers following a strong season at FCS school Southeast Missouri State in 2024, when he earned second-team Big South-OVC Football Association all-conference honors after catching 76 passes for 934 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games.

After logging just three snaps in Clemson’s season opener vs. LSU, seven snaps vs. Troy and four snaps vs. Georgia Tech, Smith played 15 snaps vs. Syracuse last Saturday.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder caught two passes for 26 yards against the Orange, including an impressive 23-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter that preceded Bryant Wesco Jr.’s 9-yard touchdown reception one play later.

“You saw what he did, and he’s – I don’t know if surprising is the right word, but he’s really good with the ball in his hands,” Riley said of Smith. “For being a 6-5 guy, you usually don’t think of that style of play with those sort of receivers that are that way. But yeah, he really does. He does some good things with the ball in his hands.”

“But I was excited to see him make really a nice play the other day,” Riley added. “That was awesome.”

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 shined in Clemson’s spring game this past April, as he caught five passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.