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Clemson

Dabo Swinney reveals how long he recruited Ian Schieffelin to swap from basketball to football

Danby: Daniel Hager06/04/25DanielHagerOn3
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Ian Schieffelin, former Clemson basketball player who joined the Clemson Tigers football team as a tight end participates in drills at the 2025 Dabo Swinney Football Camp in Clemson, S.C. Tuesday, June 3, 2025. | © Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Julius Peppers. Charlie Ward. Jimmy Graham. These are just a few former ACC greats to play both college basketball and college football.

Clemson‘s Ian Schieffelin is joining that elite group this season, as he will spend his final year in college playing football for Dabo Swinney.

Schieffelin, a 6-8, 240 pound senior from Atlanta, GA played four seasons of college basketball under head coach Brad Brownell from 2021-2025. He started 99 games and averaged 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

“I think there are a lot of skills that translate if you’re a big, thick kid,” Swinney said during a roundtable discussion with North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick and ESPN’s Rece Davis. “And then you see a lot of guys like DeAndre Hopkins for example. He was a basketball player. Tee Higgins was much more of a basketball player. Mike Williams, much more of a basketball player than football player. We took Mike Williams from Lake Marion, SC and he was a jump ball guy. That’s it. But he really developed the skills. [Tee] could have played Division I basketball. DeAndre Hopkins did play Division I at Clemson.”

“All those skills translate,” Swinney said. “That’s why Ian [Schieffelin] wants to play tight end. I’m like he’s either going to be a tight end or a defensive end. I was like ‘I don’t know if you have good hands,’ but his dad was like ‘oh he’s got good hands.’ He handles the ball all the time.”

Schieffelin played four seasons of high school football at Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. After a prolonged break however, he is trading in the basketball shoes for cleats.

“I’m excited about Ian’s addition,” Swinney said about Schieffelin last month. “He is a great competitor with high level success at the college level. He has elite football measurables that I believe will translate well. I’m looking forward to helping him transition and build a football foundation that will give him a chance to not only help us at Clemson but also give him a chance to play pro football.”