CLEMSON — Garrett Riley had a message to his quarterbacks when he told them about transfer wide receiver Tristan Smith.

“I told the quarterbacks that if they miss him then they really missed because he has quite the range,” Clemson’s offensive coordinator said.

The former standout at Southeast Missouri State stands at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds. However, he plays taller than 6-foot-5.

Smith is already wowing his teammates and coaches in practice, as he goes up and tracks the ball like a basketball player going for a rebound. To over through the ranging wide receiver is almost like overthrowing Jerry Butler in the 1977 Clemson-South Carolina game.

“Obviously, he is rangy. He’s got the length,” Riley said. “He is a big-body person that I think uses his body well. There are some big-body guys that necessarily do not use it to their advantage. He is big and he plays big.”

Smith helped the Redhawks to a first-place finish in the Big South-OVC Football Association and a berth in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. He was a second-team all-conference selection after he caught 76 passes for 934 yards and six touchdowns, in addition to rushing for one touchdown in 11 games .

His 76 receptions and his 84.9 receiving yards per game ranked among the top 20 in the FCS in 2024, as he posted three 100-yard receiving games including posting career highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (139) and scoring a touchdown against 12th-seeded Illinois State in the first round of the 2024 FCS Playoffs.

“I know that sounds simple, but it is really not,” Riley said “He is someone that is very driven and has a chip on the shoulder mentality. So, I just love that about him and his whole approach.”