Dabo Swinney admits that Ian Schieffelin will have a "huge" learning curve

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.
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

Arguably the biggest story of the offseason for Clemson football was the addition of Ian Schieffelin, a 6-foot-8 big man from Brad Brownell's hoops team.

Schieffelin just wrapped up his senior year with Clemson basketball and it looked like he was going to pursue a professional hoops career, but Dabo Swinney had other plans. Dabo had joked for years that he thought Schieffelin could play for him. He finally made it happen.

Whatever the pitch to Schieffelin was, it worked. He announced that he would be hanging up the sneakers and picking up a pair of cleats, joining the football team as a tight end.

Brownell spoke to the media earlier this month about Schieffelin playing football and he obviously wished him well, but said that Schieffelin will likely experience a major learning curve.

On Thursday, Dabo agreed.

While Dabo has expressed plenty of excitement about adding Schieffelin to that tight end room, he admitted at the start of fall camp that Schieffelin is going to have a huge learning curve. He added, "...especially when Peter Woods runs through his chinstrap."

Schieffelin obviously knows that this transition isn't going to be easy and it's good that his coach also understands that so he's more patient with him. He doesn't need to be treated with kid gloves, but he will need a grace period. Adjusting to football after spending the past four years on the hardwood isn't going to be easy.

I don't care how much of a learning curve there's going to be, I'm just excited to see Schieffelin line up in the red zone to catch jump balls from Cade Klubnik. You can't teach that.