Brad Brownell spent some time speaking to the media on Tuesday afternoon, and he was as candid as you'd hope. Following a disappointing end to the 2024-25 season, Brownell got to reflect on the year that was, speak about revenue shares and losing players due to money, talk about some of his former players, and he previewed the 2025-26 campaign.
The Clemson basketball coach talked about how the revenue share compared to the football program is basically just loose change (my words, not his) and how he lost Del Jones to Radford because they just offered him more.
He also spoke about another player who left the program despite having other basketball opportunities: Ian Schieffelin.
The Clemson big man was a fan favorite for years but opted to change sports, joining Dabo Swinney and the football team this offseason as a tight end. It was a shocking move, but fans love it.
Brownell liked the move, too, and said that it shows how much he loves the program, but he admitted that the move isn't going to be as easy as he (or anyone) thinks.
Clemson coach Brad Brownell on Ian Schieffelin and his hopes for him as a football player now.
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) July 22, 2025
"I think he’ll do well. I don’t think it’s gonna be as easy as people think it is. But we all know Dabo (Swinney) is gonna try to make something with it."
It's a fair assessment. Players don't just change sports without growing pains, and it's never a seamless transition, and this won't be either. However, he believes that his former post star is going to do well and Dabo is going to make something out of it.
This is the first time that Brownell has spoken publicly about losing Schieffelin to Dabo, but he seems to be happy about it for his former big man. He supports it and wishes him well.
That's all you can ask for.