Chalk up a big win for the Tigers this offseason, and this one comes straight from the NCAA offices. On Tuesday, Dabo Swinney was all smiles: wide receiver Tristan Smith has been granted an extra year of eligibility.
For Tristan Smith and his family, the wait was brutal. But now, with the NCAA finally coming through, Clemson’s wide receiver room just got a major boost heading into fall camp. Smith brings veteran experience and playmaking ability back to the field, dodging what could have been a move to a student-coach role.
Swinney shared his enthusiastic reaction to the spectacular news:
"I was just talking with him. Just you know, just super, super happy for him, and you know that that's been a lot of stress for him and his mom too," Swinney remarked. "So just thankful that hey, it it went his way, and he's going to get an opportunity to to keep playing... this is just a game changer for him to be able to continue to play and put some film on tape and put some put some you know good play on tape. I'm really happy for him, and certainly doesn't hurt the room. That's for sure. That's a that's a that's a really good room that got better."
Smith’s return locks in a loaded, dangerous wide receiver group, but the real wild card is redshirt freshman Chris Denson. The coaching staff has been working overtime to turn Denson into a true Swiss Army knife, splitting his reps between wideout and running back. Add in a wave of speedy true freshmen, and this receiver room looks as fast and deep as any in the ACC.
After spring ball, Dabo made it clear Denson had a big decision ahead about his future role. On Tuesday, Swinney gave an update: Denson is still figuring out where he fits best, and while a minor hamstring issue has slowed him a bit, he’s still getting looks all over the field.
Swinney detailed the current multi-positional evaluation plan for Denson:
"I don't know he's made a full decision. I mean, he's been working a little bit of you know. I think he's worked some receivers, worked a little running back. He actually is a guy that kind of tweaked his hamstring a little bit, you know, the other day. So hopefully he hopefully he's you know won't be too limited. But you know…we'll figure it out. You know he's open to to we just haven't been on the field with him, you know, to really, truly give you any type of evaluation because he's been working, he's been working multiple things in this off-season. So we'll see a little more as we go through."
With Smith back in the mix and Denson set to be a matchup nightmare, Chad Morris has a full arsenal to work with. The depth chart is stacked, the speed is off the charts, and Dabo is ready to unleash his playmakers this fall.
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