CLEMSON – With 10 minutes to play in the first quarter of Clemson’s Annual Orange & White Spring Game, freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds zipped the first completion of his day down the field for a 15-yard gain, generating cheers from an anticipatory crowd.
On the end of the catch was wide receiver Juju Preston, who was playing in his first spring game. Preston, a former high school standout from Alexandria, Va., finished with 24 receiving yards on two catches, leading all members of the White team.
“I thought it was amazing that all the fans and stuff came out to watch us play,” Preston said afterwards. “The atmosphere was great for it to be just a spring game, I feel like. But I want to say I appreciate everybody that came out to support us.”
The atmosphere Preston experienced, sponsored by roughly 25,000 fans who came to preview Clemson’s 2026 squad, was dwarfed by the noise meter found at a sold-out Death Valley during the regular season.
Still, Preston’s performance was his best in his short college career in front of any crowd– 25,000 or 80,000.
Unlike Reynolds, and a trio of true freshmen entering Clemson’s squad this fall, Preston has already made an appearance in front of a larger home crowd. He made his collegiate debut in Clemson’s 45-10 win over Furman in late November of last year, collecting one catch for four receiving yards in three snaps.
He appeared in four more snaps in the Tigers’ Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State one month later, though he did not make any catches against Nittany Lion defenders.
With starting wide receivers Bryant Wesco, T.J. Moore, and Antonio Williams missing practices leading up to the bowl game, head coach Dabo Swinney praised Preston for taking advantage of the extra reps.
“He’s always played big, he’s always played strong, even though he really isn’t big or strong,” Swinney said. “But he’s really developing. I’ve been proud of Juju. He has bought in.”
A large part of that development, Swinney said, came from developing physically.
Though Preston accumulated a prolific high school career, finishing as the all-time state touchdown leader (67) in Virginia, he lacked the physical size of any other wide receiver on the Tigers’ roster when he arrived in the Upstate last summer.
Talent alone would no longer cut it for the high school phenom, especially when going against veteran corners like Aveion Terrell and Ashton Hampton in daily practices.
On last year’s roster, Preston was listed at just 155 pounds, at least five pounds lighter than any wideout on the depth chart, including several former walk-on players. With a 6-foot frame, airing on the taller side, a top priority for the Tigers’ strength and conditioning staff was helping the rookie put on some weight.
After the Spring Game, Preston confirmed the growth, telling media members he weighed an improved 160 pounds, and hoped to get to 175 through extra workouts known as “Power Hour” or the “Crockpot,” in Swinney’s terms.
“I know (Preston) looks like this microphone, but he’s put on 15 pounds,” Swinney said last season. “He’s really developing. He was a very skinny kid when he showed up here, very underdeveloped physically. But that’s never affected him.
“He’s a kid that the arrow is up by his name. He has attacked the weight room. So, he’s in the crockpot and making progress. He’s one of those guys that I think if he sticks with it, he’ll be a good player.”
This season, Clemson’s wide receivers room will be loaded with the talents of returners Wesco, Moore, Tyler Brown, and others, along with the three new freshmen. Still, with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris hoping to take deep shots down the field frequently, the Tigers could benefit from Preston’s speed and experience this season and in years to come.
Like Reynolds, Preston still has four more years of eligibility to spend as he continues to grow physically. Though his first Spring Game catch may have seemed like a throwaway moment, it gave the 25,000 Clemson fans a glimpse of what the future could look like for the Tigers’ offense.