CLEMSON — Clemson football tight end Ian Schieffelin won’t play in the Tigers’ bowl game against Penn State.
“… I have opted out of the Bowl Game in order to put myself in the best possible position to return to basketball,” Schieffelin posted on X on Dec. 15.
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Clemson (7-5) faces Penn State (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 (noon ET, ABC) at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Schieffelin, 6-foot-7, joined the football program on May 2 after spending four seasons playing on the basketball team. He exhausted his eligibility for basketball but had a final year in his five-year window to play football. He had not played competitive football since ninth grade.
He recorded two catches for 10 yards in 20 offensive snaps this season. Schieffelin was never a starter with Clemson as Olsen Patt-Henry, Josh Sapp and Christian Bentancur dominated snaps at tight end.
Schieffelin is among 27 Clemson players who won’t play for coach Dabo Swinney in the Pinstripe Bowl.
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“It didn’t work out for me the way I wanted, and that’s something coach Swinney and I talked about before the season – that if this ended up not being what I wanted I could always go back to playing basketball,” Schieffelin wrote.
Schieffelin, 22, also faced legal troubles in his lone season with Clemson football. He served a one-game suspension in Week 1 after being arrested on a charge of driving under the influence on Aug. 17.
His DUI charge was dropped to a traffic ticket for reckless driving after reaching a plea agreement.
Ian Schieffelin stats with Clemson basketball
Schieffelin played in 134 games with Clemson basketball. He won the ACC’s most improved player award in the 2023-24 season and helped Clemson make the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.
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Last season, he made second-team All-ACC, averaging 12.4 points and leading Clemson in rebounding with 9.4 per game. His efforts helped coach Brad Brownell’s team set program records in total and conference victories.
Schieffelin had college success, but he was a long shot to make the NBA. He turned down professional overseas opportunities to join Clemson football for a season.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Ian Schieffelin opts out of Clemson football bowl game, explains why
