CLEMSON — Clemson’s Dabo Swinney continues to rave about one of his young receivers.

For the second time in recent weeks, the veteran head coach has gushed over the progress of true freshman Ju Ju Preston.

While Preston isn’t likely to see the field this season while redshirting, Swinney believes the young wideout has a very bright future.

“He is a guy that, if we had somebody go down or something,” the head said during his Tuesday press conference. “Don’t really see him on special teams unless it was like punt return. He works hard at that, and that is something that is probably in his future, that you will see him do.”

After arriving on campus in the summer, weighing less than 160 pounds, Preston has really worked to add some weight to his thin frame.

“The arrow is up by Ju Ju,” Swinney added. “He’s gained 15-17 pounds, and he is still just a beanpole. He is on his way. I think he is through the funk. He is kind of figuring out, ‘You know what, I can do this.'”

Preston committed to the Tigers out of the blue in December of 2023, more than a year before signing as part of the 2025 recruiting class.

He was phenomenal during his high school career, reeling in 185 catches for more than 3,700 yards. His 67 receiving touchdowns are a record in the state of Virginia.

Swinney believes that Clemson fans will see that playmaking ability sooner rather than later.

“He is explosive, and he has been awesome on the scout team,” Swinney said. “We have been doing some scrimmaging with the young guys the last few weeks, keeping them football ready, and trying to evaluate a lot of these guys and seeing where they were. He has been a bright spot.

Photo by Bart Boatwright