With Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. out for the year, how does that impact the playing time for transfer wideout Tristan Smith?

Swinney said Monday evening that Smith will get more snaps with Wesco sidelined.  

“Definitely ups his opportunity, for sure,” Swinney said of Smith.

Smith caught his first touchdown as a Tiger in last Saturday’s 35-24 loss to SMU. His 23-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-21 with just under seven minutes to play cut Clemson’s deficit to 29-24. It was one of the most contested touchdown grabs from a Tigers’ wide receiver this season.

Smith finished the SMU game with a season-high-tying three catches and a season-high 51 receiving yards. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior has 11 receptions on the season for 113 yards and the lone touchdown grab, proving he is quite capable when he is on the field.

“He was already doing a good job for us, so it definitely doesn’t lessen his opportunity,” Swinney said of Smith’s opportunity with Wesco out.

Smith transferred to Clemson 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.

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.

Swinney has compared 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 earlier this month. “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.”