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Dabo Swinney explains why he wanted basketball's Ian Schieffelin to join Clemson football
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- Dabo Swinney explains why he wanted basketball's Ian Schieffelin to join Clemson football
CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney didn't want Ian Schieffelin to be forgotten.
At a recent " Clemson Road Show " event, Swinney alongside Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell , spoke about Schieffelin joining Clemson football as a tight end after spending four seasons the with basketball program.
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Swinney conceded Schieffelin could have played professional basketball, but he'd probably have to go to "Afghanistan or somewhere" since he was a longshot to make the NBA. So Swinney convinced him to "call a timeout" on basketball.
"If you go over there, they're going to forget about you forever," Swinney said at the event. "If you want to play football, you'll be a national story."
Swinney said the idea of Schieffelin transitioning to football came after the 2025 NFL Draft in April. Swinney said he received text messages from one of Schieffelin's representatives who wanted the Tigers coach's advice on the former basketball forward playing football and possibly calling scouts to see if he could get an NFL tryout.
Swinney called Schieffelin soon after to inform him all 32 NFL teams would love to see him work out with his 6-foot-8, 240-pound measurements. Swinney added he would even make a camp with an NFL team "without a doubt."
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However, Swinney told Schieffelin scouts would love to evaluate him over an entire season instead of a phone-call tryout. Schieffelin decided to don shoulder pads and a helmet for his final year at Clemson.
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Swinney has always praised Schieffelin for his football potential, seeing him as a tight end, defensive or offensive tackle. Schieffelin played quarterback and tight end at Grayson High School in Georgia through the 10th grade. He even played alongside former Clemson running back Phil Mafah but chose to focus on basketball during his final two years.
How much Schieffelin plays in 2025 is to be determined. Clemson has five scholarship tight ends on its roster: Olsen Patt-Henry, Josh Sapp, Christian Bentancur, Logan Brooking and Markus Dixon (who played at defensive end during spring practice). It also has a loaded offense that looks to build on its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2020.
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"We don't need him to win at Clemson. I mean, this is just what I think is a great opportunity for Ian, who loves Clemson, and I think it's cool," Swinney said. "I'd like to be a part of his story."
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: How Dabo Swinney coaxed Ian Schieffelin to join team
