The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for Dabo Swinney.
After another successful spring game, the Tigers' head coach pieced together a top-five recruiting class for 2026 (so far), spoke to high favorite childhood team at halftime (the Birmingham Stallions), ran down the hill to lead the Savannah Bananas onto the field at Memorial Stadium, and landed Clemson hoops star Ian Schieffelin who was considering a professional basketball career.
The latter development was easily the most shocking as Schieffelin was considered one of the better basketball players in the ACC last season and he was a fan favorite on the hardwood at Clemson.
And yet, Swinney was somehow able to convince him to hang up the Nikes and pick up the shoulder pads and helmet.
How did he do it? Dabo revealed his recruiting pitch to Schieffelin at a recent event.
Dabo Swinney, on Ian Schieffelin's pro basketball prospects, says he would have to "go live in Afghanistan or somewhere" to play.
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) May 9, 2025
"You go over there, they are gonna forget about you forever. If you want to play football, you’ll be a national story."pic.twitter.com/UDixc9QtP9
Dabo basically told Schieffelin that if he wanted to be remembered, he would have to switch sports because he could "go live in Afghanistan or somewhere" or "be a national story" if he chose football. It's a solid pitch honestly, and it can't be easy to step away from a sport that you considered your future to have a chance to be good at another.
Swinney did a good enough job of recruiting Schieffelin that he announced his switch last week and placed his trust in Dabo. I don't think many college football coaches could've gotten this done.
The Tigers now have some quality depth at tight end thanks to this move after the departure of Jake Briningstool. Imagine trying to defend a 6-foot-8, 240-pound athletic tight end.
It may be over for the rest of the ACC.