Having mastered the art of basketball, Clemson star forward Ian Schieffelin is making the transition to football and play next season for the Tigers under coach Dabo Swinney, he announced Friday.
Schieffelin is coming off a career year on the hardwood. He earned All-ACC honors and averaged 12.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for a Tigers team that won a program-best 27 games. He has exhausted his college eligibility as a hooper, but NCAA rules allow him to utilize another year of eligibility on scholarship in a different Division I sport.
The transition comes as a direct result from a phone call Schieffelin had with Swinney two weeks ago.
“Dabo just walked me through the opportunity he was willing to give me, and it all sounded great, something I wanted to jump on,” Schieffelin told ESPN. “It really just sparked my interest in wanting to try, and being able to put on a Clemson jersey again was very enticing to me.”
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound former power forward is expected to play tight end for the Tigers.
“He has elite football measurables that I believe will translate well,” Swinney told ESPN. “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. It should be fun.”
Clemson has a void to fill after losing starting tight end Jake Briningstool, the team’s second-leading receiver in receptions last season with 49, to the NFL. Schieffelin doesn’t have extensive experience in football beyond playing as a quarterback early in his high school career, but he could join a long list of former hoopers-turned-footballers to find success that includes Mo Alie-Cox, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham.
