Brad Brownell on Schieffelin's move to football: "He loves Clemson"

Swinney and Brownell joked about needing notes to coach their now shared player, but the one thing that wasn't in jest was the respect he carries between the two.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Saturday, May 03 2025

Dabo Swinney and Brad Brownell have been on the road together for various IPTAY events.

Has something in particular come up?

Ian Schieffelin's move to football has been the talk of the town as of late, and Brownell and Swinney had some fun with the transition at an IPTAY event in Greenville.

A question was aimed at Brownell about what it was like to coach Schieffelin in his four years with the program, and Swinney was quick to have some fun with the idea.

"Hang on," Swinney said. "Let me record this. Give me the really, really good stuff."

"No doubt you're gonna need some notes," Brownell retorted.

However, when it was time to get serious, Brownell quickly praised his former All-ACC forward's competitiveness, noting that Schieffelin's athleticism is incredibly underrated.

"He's obviously a great kid," Brownell said of the new No. 18 playing tight end at Clemson. "He's a much better athlete than what people think. That's the rub; even coaches who coach against him don't realize he's so strong. His legs are huge, he's powerful, and a quick jumper. He's got a little bit of a quick twitch. I think he's probably a little faster, if you timed him in a 40, he'll probably be a little faster than people think."

Brownell also noted the tremendous sacrifice that Schieffelin is making when it comes to the move to play football.

In his former head coach's eyes, a lot of money is left on the table for his former forward to halt his overseas earnings by sticking around in Clemson to play another sport. He did note that much of this decision stems from a love of football, and the unique opportunity that is being offered to him will allow Schieffelin to live out another dream.

"If he decides to do it, I think everyone needs to realize he's making a major sacrifice," Brownell said. "I don't know if he's an NBA basketball player, but he could make a lot of money overseas playing basketball. He does have a love of football. He's always had that and played it as a kid. He loves Clemson. The one thing about Ian Schieffelin is that he loves Clemson, and the chance to stay here would be very appealing for him."

Granted, this conversation took place before Schieffelin's decision was publicized on his social media posts, but essentially, the appeal to stay had won him over at this point.

Swinney and Brownell joked about needing notes to coach their now shared player, but the one thing that wasn't in jest was the respect he carries between the two.