Clemson’s Garrett Riley Sees Opportunity for True Freshman as Depth Thins

With Clemson’s receiver room thinner than usual heading into the Pinstripe Bowl due to injuries, an unexpected name has emerged as one of the Tigers’ most intriguing developmental stories this bowl season: true freshman Juju Preston.

The 6-foot wideout logged just three total snaps in the regular season, but has steadily climbed onto offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s radar throughout the latter half of the regular season and bowl-week practice.

“There have been several people who have caught my eye for sure,” Riley said on Wednesday. “It’s been a little bit of musical chairs as far as who’s been out at practice and all that stuff recently. But, a guy who has really just improved steadily since the second half of our season, and certainly has flashed here in these last bowl practices, is JuJu Preston at receiver.”

“He’s done a great job of adapting and totally getting ingrained with what we do, what his job is, the technique, the assignment; just all the things that go along with it. With his progress, I’m super proud of him. There’s some bright future and bright days ahead for JuJu.”

Preston was the lone high school wideout to sign with Clemson’s 2025 class, rated as a three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 77 wide receiver nationally and the No. 13 player in Virginia, according to Rivals recruiting rankings.

While overlooked in the national aspect, the versatile receiver brought a decorated high school background to Tiger town, finishing his prep career with 185 catches for 3,700 yards and 67 touchdowns — the most in Virginia state history.

He spent his first three seasons at Freedom High School, helping them secure back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023. However, for his senior season, he transferred to Hayfield Secondary School, where he totaled 501 yards and eight touchdowns in just five games.

Despite the gaudy production, Preston arrived as a more developmental prospect with raw tools rather than an immediate contributor. At just 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds, he entered a receiver room loaded with established and emerging talent, including Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr., T.J. Moore and Tyler Brown, making early opportunities hard to come by.

But now, with Williams and Wesco out for the contest, Preston’s steady development has elevated him from a long-term project to a viable option, a reality Riley acknowledged when asked whether the young wideout could help in New York.

“Absolutely, I really do,” Riley replied. “He’s a skill guy, and he’s improved quickly. He brings a different skillset and a little bit of different juice into that receiver room that’s already talented. But he’s certainly a guy that we’re going to have ready to play. No question about it.”

While Preston’s rise has become more visible during bowl preparation, the confidence in his trajectory isn’t all too new.

More than a month ago, ahead of the Tigers’ Week 12 matchup with Louisville, head coach Dabo Swinney was already pointing to the true freshman as one of the program’s quiet risers, offering an early glimpse into the growth that is now beginning to translate into opportunity.

“The arrow is up by JuJu,” Swinney relayed. “He’s gained 15-17 pounds and is still a beanpole. He’s on his way… He’s figuring out that he can do this. He’s explosive. He’s been awesome on the scout team. We’ve been doing some scrimmaging over the last few weeks with the young guys… He’s been a bright spot.”