Key facts
- Clemson wide receiver Tristan Smith has been granted a temporary injunction by a South Carolina judge.
- The injunction allows Smith to play his fifth college football season in 2026.
- The NCAA had previously denied Smith's waiver request for an additional year of eligibility.
- Smith's legal team argued the NCAA arbitrarily applied its five-year rule.
- The judge's decision aligns with previous rulings that granted eligibility to athletes with similar junior college backgrounds.
A South Carolina judge has granted Clemson wide receiver Tristan Smith a temporary injunction, allowing him to play his fifth college football season in 2026. The NCAA had denied Smith's waiver request for an additional year of eligibility after he played two seasons at a junior college, one at Southeast Missouri State, and last season with the Tigers.
Circuit Court Judge Jessica A. Salvini ruled in Smith's favor, citing the NCAA's "arbitrary and capricious" application of its five-year rule and referencing precedent set in similar cases involving athletes transferring from junior colleges. Smith's legal team argued that he was not being afforded the same relief as other athletes in comparable situations.
Smith played in 13 games for Clemson last season, making four starts and recording 24 receptions for 239 yards and a touchdown. He transferred to Clemson after two seasons at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and one year at Southeast Missouri State.
The ruling prevents the NCAA from ruling Smith ineligible for the upcoming season, which is crucial for his college and potential professional career, as well as for NIL and revenue-sharing opportunities.