Where Clemson's Wide Receiver Room Stands Following Tristan Smith's Eligibility

Here's a look at Clemson's updated wide receiver room after it receives one of its rotational pieces back from 2025.

Clemson receiver Tristan Smith returns to a wide receiver room that is stacked with talent for 2026. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson football caught a break to begin the weekend, getting back a key contributor from last year’s team in Tristan Smith. 

After a battle that took over half the year, Smith was granted an injunction to play in 2026, adding to Tyler Grisham’s loaded room of standouts and players with something to prove. Not only will Smith build on his role from last season, but he will also look to continue to see quality snaps across the season. 

So, what will the receiver room look like?

No doubt, it starts with juniors Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore. The duo has each finished with 500 yards in their first two seasons with the Tigers. However, there’s potential to be a 1,000-yard receiver for either of these standouts, perhaps both. Clemson hasn’t had a receiver to do that since Amari Rodgers in the 2020 season. 

While Wesco and Moore are on the outside, the skill position battle for the third spot is expected to be between redshirt junior Tyler Brown and true freshman Naeem Burroughs. Brown is looking for a bounce-back season, trying to bring back the production of his 2023 season. That year, he led the Tigers in receiving yards in receptions and receiving yards. 

Burroughs, Clemson’s top recruit in the 2026 class, has the speed and frame to be one of the Tigers’ next greats at the position. However, it will be whether offensive coordinator Chad Morris wants to go with experience or promise to begin the season. 

Typically, Swinney goes with experience, but a long summer still awaits the Tigers to make any permanent decisions. 

The other two freshmen Clemson picked up were Gordon Sellars III and Connor Salmin. Sellars was a standout over the spring and is regarded as the most polished of the three freshmen, meaning he could be a rotational piece for Morris in 2026. 

Salmon brings track-level speed to the table, so don’t be surprised if Morris uses plays behind the line of scrimmage to get him the ball in space. 

This is where we get to Smith, who has the longest frame out of the wide receiver room at 6-foot-5. His jump-ball touchdown grab against SMU showcased that, and Morris will use that style for one-on-one matchups, or perhaps more jump-ball scenarios in the red zone. 

Redshirt freshman Juju Preston came onto the scene late in 2025, being spoken of highly during Pinstripe Bowl workouts ahead of Clemson’s final game last season. However, he didn’t record many statistics and was a special teams player. That will change in 2026. 

Redshirt junior Cole Turner is another speedster, falling behind in the depth chart, but brings experience into the fold. For a name like Salmin, that could be beneficial as a mentor due to their having similar strengths. However, expect the Alabama native to be on the field during reserve moments. 

Names like Clark Sanderson, Chase Byrd and Jaylen Brown-Wallace can be the same type of situation, too. Unless there’s a bowl game situation where players opt out, seeing the field in the fourth quarter sporadically could end up as the best-case scenario. 

The great news about Smith's return is that Grisham has another weapon to work with, and since Morris wants to run this offense quickly and dangerously, he will need all the help he can get.