Ian Schieffelin is headed back to basketball, and his next stop is the Miami Heat.
The former Clemson standout will be on Miami’s Summer League roster next month, a move announced Monday morning through his agency, Slan Sports, on social media. After spending last year trying his hand at football, Schieffelin is getting another crack at the game that made him such an important piece of Brad Brownell’s program.
His football detour didn’t last long. Clemson’s tight end experiment with Schieffelin was over before the 2025 season ended, and he logged only 20 offensive snaps on the year. He finished with two catches for 10 yards, mostly appearing in goal-line packages designed to use his size as a jump-ball target.
Basketball, though, has always been the main attraction. Across four seasons with Clemson, Schieffelin averaged 8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and grew into one of the most valuable players Brownell had. His senior year earned him Second Team All-ACC honors, and the season before that he was the league’s Most Improved Player.
That 2023-24 campaign was also the one in which Clemson reached the Elite Eight, matching the deepest run in program history. Schieffelin was a big part of that push, averaging 9.4 rebounds per game while helping the Tigers into rare territory.
He was also recently back around Clemson basketball, working out with the team and some other familiar faces after stepping away from football.
Now comes the next test. Schieffelin isn’t being asked to arrive as a polished scorer, but his 6-foot-8, 240-pound frame gives him a chance to hold his own against NBA bigs, and his physical profile is clearly part of what makes this worth a look.
Still, the path ahead is a long one. This is a Summer League contract, which means he’ll likely need to earn something else after that run if he wants to keep playing.
An Exhibit 10 deal is also a possibility if he puts together an efficient summer. That kind of contract comes with a one-year, minimum salary and no guarantees, and many players on those deals end up with G-League time in their first season.
The Summer League runs in Las Vegas from July 3-20, with ESPN carrying coverage throughout the month. For Schieffelin, it’s a chance to put himself back on the basketball map after a year away from the sport.
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