What’s next in Clemson receiver’s NCAA eligibility lawsuit? Judge sets timeline
Clemson wide receiver Tristan Smith’s NCAA eligibility battle took another step forward Monday.
After hearing roughly 30 minutes of arguments from Smith’s lawyers and NCAA representatives in a virtual hearing, a local judge said she’ll make a ruling on whether to grant Smith a temporary injunction by Friday.
If granted, the temporary injunction would allow Smith, 22, to compete for the Clemson football team in 2026. Smith sued the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility in January, arguing the organization was unfairly counting his non-NCAA junior college years against his NCAA eligibility clock.
The assigned judge in the case, Jessica Ann Salvini, indicated she’d make a ruling on the injunction by Friday after taking a closer look at both sides’ arguments.
“I’m going to take it under advisement,” Salvini said. “You’ll have my decision, though, by the end of this week. I don’t sit on my cases long. I just wanna go back and take a look at some of the case law that you both cited. ... I’ll let y’all know as soon as possible.”
The case is being heard in South Carolina’s 13th Judicial Circuit, which covers Greenville County and Pickens County, where Clemson’s campus is located and where Smith filed his lawsuit.
Smith’s lawyers are pushing for the judge to grant an injunction, which would essentially suspend the NCAA’s eligibility decision on Smith and allow the wide receiver to suit up for the Tigers this fall.
If the injunction is denied, Smith’s camp could appeal, but his college football career would likely be over. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in February that if Smith’s injunction was denied, the receiver would either enter the 2026 NFL supplemental draft or spend a year on Clemson’s campus training and earning the final credits he needs to graduate through the school’s Tiger Trust program.
Smith, Swinney said, could then work as a student coach with Clemson football and stay in shape before moving on to 2027 NFL combine and NFL Draft prep.
If eligible, Smith would be a strong rotational piece for Clemson’s 2026 offense behind star receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. Smith caught 24 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown in 13 games (four starts) with the Tigers in 2025.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 11:13 AM.
