After transferring to Clemson ahead of the 2025 campaign, Tristan Smith has seen his playing time increase over the past two games.

The senior wide receiver played just 14 total snaps across Clemson’s first three games this season, but logged 15 snaps against Syracuse on Sept. 20, and then 25 snaps in last Saturday’s 38-10 win at North Carolina.

Against UNC, Smith recorded season highs with three receptions for 29 yards, after catching two passes for 26 yards against Syracuse, including an impressive 23-yard catch and run.

During his weekly Tuesday press conference, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spoke about Smith carving out more of a role in the Tigers’ offense.

“He’s had back-to-back good games for us. It’s two good games in a row that he’s shown up, made some plays,” Swinney said. “I think early on, first couple games, [it was] just really being able to trust him. He’s been practicing really well, so he’s earning more trust. He is a matchup problem. He’s got unbelievable length, and he’s really a skilled guy at finishing on the ball.”

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.

Swinney compared the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Smith to former Clemson star wide receiver Aaron Kelly, in terms of their size and ability to run after the catch.

“You wouldn’t think it, but he’s a really good after the catch guy,” Swinney said of Smith. “Similar to Aaron Kelly – similar to that. Aaron was a 6-5 guy, but Aaron, what made him unique, was he could run with the ball after the catch. And this kid’s similar to that. He’s hard to bring down. He’s kind of slinky. So, proud of him. A couple good games.”

Swinney added that Smith might get some opportunities in Saturday’s game at Boston College (7:30 p.m., ACC Network), due to the fact the Eagles play a lot of man coverage.

“We need him to keep coming,” Swinney said. “It’ll be a big challenge this week. It’s a lot of man-to-man, a lot of competitive plays, so we’ll have to win some matchups.”

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.