College Basketball

From Hardwood to Goal Line: Ian Schieffelin’s Unlikely Leap to Clemson Football

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By
Colin Lynch
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Colin Lynch Sports Editor

Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.

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Published05 May 2025

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Clemson basketball forward Ian Schieffelin will now move over to Clemson football, where he hopes to shine at tight end for the Tigers

Clemson’s campus still buzzes with echoes of sneakers squeaking on polished hardwood, but next season the roar may come from pads and helmets instead. Ian Schieffelin, the 6‑foot‑8, 225‑pound power forward who finished four seasons of college basketball with the Tigers, has one year of athletic eligibility remaining—and he’s choosing to trade his jersey for shoulder pads. Under NCAA rules, student‑athletes have five years to compete in any sport; Schieffelin is harnessing that final window not for another dribble but for receptions and blocks.

His decision wasn’t born of necessity but of possibility. With his basketball eligibility exhausted and only an “outside chance” of another season in the orange and purple, Schieffelin explored professional avenues overseas and in the G League. When head football coach Dabo Swinney casually — yet purposefully — floated the idea of a spot at tight end, something clicked.

The notion of putting on a Clemson football jersey again, of lining up beneath those hallowed stadium lights, resonated with a competitiveness still burning bright. In one fluid motion, Schieffelin began rewriting his athletic narrative, ready to swap crossovers for crossbars. As the Tigers prepare to leave Cameron Indoor echoes for Death Valley’s thunder, Schieffelin steps into uncharted terrain — a testament to the limitless ambition of a collegiate athlete unafraid to redefine himself.

Embracing the Opportunity: Schieffelin’s Decision

“I’ve been training for basketball, getting ready for the next level,” Schieffelin confided, voice steady with equal parts excitement and resolve. His journey to basketball prominence was swift: a four‑year stretch marked by a 12.4‑point, 9.4‑rebound average, an ACC runner‑up finish at 18‑2, and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Yet beneath those numbers lay the story of an athlete eager for every challenge, prepared to pivot at life’s prompting.

When Swinney extended his invitation, it came not as a novelty but as a calculated proposition. “Ian is a great competitor,” the coach said, eyes reflecting genuine belief. “He has elite measurables that I believe will translate well. We’ll help him build a football foundation — not just to help Clemson, but to give him a shot at pro football.” Suddenly, Schieffelin revisited high school memories of quarterback and tight end, when he balanced blocking schemes with jump shots.

Now, mentored by Swinney and tight ends coach Kyle Richardson, he’ll refine route running and hand placement instead of footwork in the paint. With Jake Briningstool’s departure, the depth chart yawns open, offering Schieffelin a chance to compete alongside unproven recruits rather than fade into the tail end of statistics. That competition, he knows, is precisely the environment where true transformation sparks.

The Road Ahead: Legacy and Potential

History is littered with two‑sport luminaries: Antonio Gates carved a Hall of Fame path as a tight end after San Diego State hoops; Julius Peppers and Tony Gonzalez blurred the line between basketball and the NFL; more recently, Jimmy Graham leapt from Miami hardwood to Green Bay gridiron. Yet for every celebrated crossover, countless others test but never truly find footing. For Schieffelin, success hinges not only on raw athleticism but on an unshakeable work ethic — the same trait that carried him through four grueling basketball seasons.

Clemson’s facilities will become his classroom, where video sessions dissect defensive coverages rather than zone schemes, and weight rooms sculpt blocking power over vertical explosiveness. His path to contributions on Saturday afternoons will be paved with thousands of practice reps, each designed to acclimate a basketball body to the demands of college football’s collision culture. Teammates, initially intrigued by the novelty, will soon treat him as one of their own, evaluating routes and blocks with the same critical eye they apply to every recruit.

As autumn leaves fall on Death Valley, Schieffelin will run onto the field not as a curiosity but as a competitor in pursuit of a second athletic life. His experiment could redefine Clemson’s approach to multi‑sport talent, inspiring others to embrace delayed specialization. More importantly, it will remind fans that even after years of college acclaim, an athlete’s story is never finished — it simply awaits the next uncharted horizon.