Two star Clemson basketball players are entering transfer portal. Here’s why
Two stars from last season’s Clemson basketball team are entering the transfer portal in a unique move intended to give them flexibility for a potential fifth year.
Tigers starting guard Jaeden Zackery and forward Ian Schieffelin entered the transfer portal on Monday, The State has confirmed. The portal closes Tuesday.
Both players were every-game starters and all-conference honorees for a Clemson team that won a school-record 27 games and was a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The moves prompted some confusion. Schieffelin was widely considered as being done with college after playing four seasons in four years at Clemson. Zackery played a JUCO year, but he still faced an uncertain path to another year of eligibility.
But there’s some logic to their decisions.
Keeping options open
There are currently multiple lawsuits pending against the NCAA in which athletes are suing for additional eligibility. And college sports leaders are seriously weighing a “5 in 5” rule in which every athlete gets five years to play five seasons.
Athletes currently get five years to play four seasons (four “regular” seasons plus one redshirt year). But that rule has become largely irrelevant with COVID-19 years, injury redshirts and extra eligibility for JUCO players.
The “5 in 5” rule has “surfaced as a potentially urgent matter to simplify and perhaps solve” the growing debate around NCAA eligibility rules, Yahoo Sports reported. College sports are about to enter a new revenue-sharing era, too.
On top of all that uncertainty, the NCAA also changed the deadline for graduate transfers (such as Schieffelin and Zackery) to enter their names in the transfer portal. The previous deadline was August. The deadline is now Tuesday, April 22, the same date the portal window closes for undergraduate players.
So Schieffelin and Zackery putting their names in the transfer portal is more or less a precautionary measure in case they wind up getting another year of eligibility.
“Both played four seasons of 30+ games and have no eligibility remaining — but if a fifth year of eligibility becomes a thing, they’re in there,” ESPN reporter Jeff Borzello said of Schieffelin and Zackery in a Monday post on X (formerly Twitter).
Dozens of other veteran players who appear to have no eligibility remaining have done the same as Schieffelin and Zackery and put their names in the portal.
Players can enter the portal even if they don’t explicitly have eligibility remaining.
Returning to college ... but not Clemson?
Entering the transfer portal does not necessarily mean Zackery and Schieffelin are leaving Clemson. If there’s a rule change in coming months and both players get another year of eligibility, they could still return to their former school.
Still, it was a bit bizarre for Clemson fans to see the names of two veteran players who poured it all out for the Tigers pop up in the transfer portal.
Schieffelin, a beloved 6-8 senior forward, played all four years at Clemson. He was the ACC’s most improved player as a junior and a second team All ACC selection as a senior, averaging 12.4 points, a team-high 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Zackery, who previously played three years at Boston College, was an instant impact transfer at Clemson. A 6-foot-1 guard, he averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game and was named to the ACC All-Defense team.
Schieffelin spoke glowingly about his time at Clemson after the Tigers lost to No. 12 McNeese State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Providence. Zackery, meanwhile, had said he’d “love” to return to the Tigers depending on his eligibility.
More than anything else, Schieffelin and Zackery entering the portal is a proactive measure to ensure they have as many options as possible for the 2025-26 season.
As portal players, they could now feasibly:
- Wait out a potential rule change or court ruling, earn a fifth year of NCAA eligibility and return to Clemson for the 2025-26 season
Wait out a potential rule change or court ruling, earn a fifth year of NCAA eligibility and transfer to a different school for 2025-26
Move on with their professional basketball careers if the NCAA doesn’t make any rule changes regarding athletes’ eligibility for 2025-26
Move on with their pro careers regardless of any rulings
For veteran players and multi-year power conference starters such as Schieffelin and Zackery, the possibility of another year of college basketball could be appealing because of the potential rev share money and additional NIL dollars they’d earn.
Neither player is considered a top-tier 2025 NBA Draft prospect. More likely than not, Schieffelin and Zackery will start in the NBA G League and/or overseas.
There’s also a chance players in this situation feel a time crunch and move on from college regardless. May 28 is currently the last day a player can withdraw from the NBA Draft pool and maintain NCAA eligibility. The draft is set for June 25-26.
Running against that deadline is a potential “5 in 5” rule change (the NCAA, per a report, won’t discuss that change until after the House settlement is approved in coming weeks) and college basketball teams’ scholarship situations.
Clemson, for instance, has completely retooled its roster with the expected departures of Chase Hunter, Viktor Lakhin, Schieffelin and Zackery. Coach Brad Brownell’s program has landed five transfers this offseason and has nine total newcomers on next year’s roster (out of a current 12 scholarship players).
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 3:44 PM.
