For months, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney joked with Ian Schieffelin that the Tigers men's basketball team's 6-foot-8 power forward would have a great ending, but Schieffelin thought it was all fun. However, two weeks ago, he received a call from Swinney, making a serious offer: what to spend with the Tigers football team over the next six months and see what to expect.

Schieffelin announced on Instagram on Friday that he is accepting a offer from Swinney, which is any professional basketball prospect to date, in the last season, on the Clemson jersey — this time on the grill rather than on the hardwood.

"I've been training in basketball to prepare for the next level," Schieffelin told ESPN. "Dabo just led me through the chance he was willing to give me, and it sounded great, and I wanted to jump. It really sparked my interest in wanting to try, and being able to wear the Clemson jersey again was tempting for me. To get Dabo and (close coach Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's Kyle's.

Schieffelin has grown into one of the key gears to the Tigers’ basketball team over the past two years. Last season, Clemson scored five seeds in the NCAA Championship, averaging 12.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the first round of losing to McNeese.

He entered the transfer portal last month, hoping to qualify for fifth grade in several ongoing lawsuits against the NCAA, although Schieffelin said the possibility of him playing basketball in time and in time in 2025-26 is slim. When Swinney called the offer, he had been preparing for the pros (probably overseas or G League).

"I'm never going to rule out I'm going to go back to basketball," Schieffelin said. "I'm going to see the developments for the next six months, see what developments are going to look at and see if I really like playing football. But I think it's a good opportunity for the next six months."

Clemson lost the tension in Jake Briningstool after last season. The Bollinger signed with the Kansas City Chiefs' free agent last week, where he played in 48 games and won 127 catches at Clemson. The Tigers’ depth map at that position is thin in experience, with Josh Sapp (13 catches), Olsen Patt-Henry (12 catches) and Bank Pope (1 catches) (1 catch) being the only tense close end of the team, and they recorded the reception.

In October, Swinney laughed at his interest in adding Schieffelin to the roster, which showed that he was almost anywhere on the Tigers.

"D-End he can tighten. He can play whatever he wants to play. He will be an incredible left tackle," Sweeney said. "I'll have a seat. If he wants to go wherever he wants to go after basketball, we're also ready to share a lot."

Schieffelin said he didn't take Swinney's advice seriously during the basketball season, assuming the coach was just making fun of it, but when the opportunity became real, he quickly understood Swinney's vision for him.

"The phone call two weeks ago was very serious, and I thought maybe it was an opportunity to stay around and join a national championship contender," Schieffelin said.

Schieffelin said he doesn't want to make change, but does think his size can allow him to fit in with potential NFL prospects.

He played quarterback as a ninth grader before choosing to focus on basketball the second year. Schieffelin said he will spend months in the coming months adjusting and strength improvements to prepare for strict football games and working to build relationships with new teammates, but said he has no fixed expectations for this season.

"I've been playing college basketball for four years and I've been used to working out and worked," Schieffelin said. "But it looks different when it comes to football, so just go into the weight room to learn everything."

Before making the decision, Schieffelin said he spoke with Mo Alie-Cox of the Colts, who was a four-year basketball starter at the VCU before signing with Indianapolis. Alie-Cox hasn't played football since his first year in high school, but is now entering his eighth NFL season.

"We talked about the reasons why he decided to go the football route," Schieffelin said. "He helped me just know why he decided, and it made me decide to give it a chance to see where I could go."

Alie-Cox is one of the few basketball players who have successfully transitioned to football games. Greg Paulus played at Duke before becoming the starting quarterback for Syracuse in 2009. Jimmy Graham and Julius Peppers played in both sports at college before becoming an all-professional NFL player. Antonio Gates played basketball at Kent State before trying soccer. He was declared a professional football Hall of Fame inductee in February.

"Just be able to compete with these people and compete against the team," Schieffelin said of his goal. "I want to learn this very optimistic and be ready to learn. Being able to compete every day is something I love. Learn football and have fun.

"Maybe I'll be really good, maybe I'll be really bad. It's something worth a try. Being able to wear the Clemson jersey again is really special for me, and it would be amazing to do so in Death Valley this time."