Clemson's Ian Schieffelin Pausing Basketball Career, Will Play Football For Dabo Swinney

After helping the Clemson Tigers on the basketball court for the past four years, Ian Schieffelin is making a move to college football, taking Dabo Swinney up on an interesting offer. 

Coming off his final season of eligibility with the basketball team, the 6-foot-8 power forward has decided to hold off on pursuing a career in the professional ranks. Over the past eight months, Swinney has kept the idea floating that he'd love to have the basketball star try football once again. Schieffelin played quarterback at Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga. 

While the gesture from Swinney was nice, Schieffelin never really took it seriously, as he was preparing for a career in professional basketball. That was until the Clemson football coach recently offered him a spot on the roster. The Tigers are looking to replace tight end Jake Briningstool, who signed an undrafted free agent deal this week with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

During the 2024 season, Swinney discussed the idea with members of the media, which was his way of letting it be known that a spot on the roster was waiting for Schiefflin if he wanted to entertain the idea. 

"He could play tight end, D-end. He could play whatever he wanted to play," Swinney said. "He'd be an unbelievable left tackle. I'll definitely have a spot. We have a lot of rev share ready too if he wants to pass up wherever he's going after basketball."

Schieffelin Reached Out For Advice Before Accepting Swinney's Offer

After starting his high school career playing quarterback, Schieffelin decided it was in his best interest to focus on basketball, given his size and athleticism. Obviously, that paid dividends, seeing that he was a force inside the paint for a Clemson basketball team that set a school record for wins but was upset by 12th-seeded McNeese in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

According to ESPN, Schieffelin reached out to Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox to discuss what the transition would look like. Alie-Cox played four years for the VCU basketball team before deciding that football could be a more lucrative way to play in the professional ranks. He is entering his eighth NFL season. 

"I've been just training for basketball, getting ready for the next level," Schieffelin told ESPN. "Dabo just walked me through the opportunity he was willing to give me, and it all sounded great, something I wanted to jump on."

Clemson's Ian Schieffelin is shifting from basketball to football at Clemson. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Now, Swinney has a massive tight end who will be difficult to cover down the field. Schieffelin, who has one year of eligibility remaining, has three months to prepare for the transition, before fall camp opens in August. 

"Just being able to compete with these guys and impact the team any way I can," Schieffelin told ESPN. "I'm going into this very optimistic and ready to learn. Being able to compete every day is something I enjoy. To learn football and have fun. 

"Maybe I'll be really good, maybe I'll be really bad. It's something that was worth a shot. And being able to put a Clemson jersey on again is really special to me, and to do it this time in Death Valley is going to be amazing."

We have seen this type of move before. Both Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates played basketball in college, as did Julius Peppers. One of the more interesting stories of a player trying to make this transition came when Draymond Green participated in the 2011 Michigan State spring game, where he only lasted two snaps before returning his focus to basketball. 

Obviously, that worked out for the Golden State Warriors' All-Star forward.

But now, given the size and mobility of Schieffelin, he has a real opportunity to make an impact for the Clemson Tigers this coming season.