Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney levied tampering accusations against Ole Miss and head coach Pete Golding last week.
During a press conference on Friday, Swinney told reporters that the Rebels’ coaching staff recruited linebacker Luke Ferrelli into the transfer portal after he’d already transferred to Clemson.
Ferrelli entered the transfer portal in late December and committed to Clemson on Jan. 6. The former Cal linebacker ultimately entered the portal again and transferred to Ole Miss a few weeks later.
The NCAA is now looking into Swinney’s claims.
The Tampering Timeline
Ferrelli signed with Cal in December 2023 and spent two seasons with the Bears. The redshirt freshman had a breakout 2025 season, finishing with 91 total tackles, a sack and an interception.
Ferrelli entered the transfer portal on Dec. 31, 2025. He committed to Clemson on Jan. 1, 2026. He stayed with the Tigers until Jan. 21, when he re-entered the portal and transferred to Ole Miss on Jan. 22.
On Friday, Swinney called what happened with Ferrelli a “straightforward case of tampering.”
“This is a whole other level of tampering. It’s total hypocrisy. … This is a really sad state of affairs. We have a broken system, and if there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules and we have no governance.”
According to Swinney’s timeline, Ole Miss contacted Ferrelli well after he was enrolled in classes at Clemson. He also alleges that Golding told Ferrelli he knew he was enrolled at Clemson but asked about his buyout, showing a picture of a $1 million contract.
Ferrelli signed a financial aid agreement with Clemson on Jan. 7 and moved to campus on Jan. 11.
According to Greenville Online, several key events occurred between Ferrelli’s agent Ryan Williams and Clemson general manager Jordan Sorrells:
Jan. 14: Williams calls Sorrells, saying Ole Miss is coming after Ferrelli “hard,” but assures the Clemson general manager that the linebacker had “no intention” of leaving Clemson
Jan. 15: Sorrells informs Swinney of the conversation. Swinney asked Sorrells to reach out to Ole Miss general manager Thomas Austin and tell them, “We know what’s going on, and if he doesn’t cease communication, I’m going to turn him in.” Austin called back and said their relationship is more important than landing Ferrelli, but “Pete Golding just does what he does.”
Jan. 16: Ferrelli called linebacker coach Mark Bouleware to inform him that Ole Miss reached out again and raised their offer to two years, $2 million
This is worth your time to listen to.
Dabo laid out the timeline with quotes
— Jake “JBOY” Crain (@JakeCrain_) January 23, 2026
Ferrelli’s bio page is still active on Clemson’s website. When you click “Luke Ferrelli’s timeline at Clemson,” it redirects to a video of Swinney’s press conference.
Swinney’s Broader Message
Pete Golding has been Ole Miss’s head coach for a couple months. He was hired as Lane Kiffin’s replacement after Kiffin accepted the LSU job in early December. Golding helped lead Ole Miss to a 2-0 CFP run with wins over Tulane and Georgia.
According to Swinney, Ole Miss coaches said other schools tamper too when confronted about the violations. He said while he doesn’t want anyone to lose their job, he wants everyone playing by the same rules.
“If you tamper with my players, I’m going to turn you in. It’s just that simple. I’m not trying to get anybody fired, but when is enough enough? If we have rules, and tampering is a rule, then there should be a consequence for that.”
Swinney compared the situation to the NFL, which has strict tampering rules.
“If this happened in the NFL, which is an actual league with rules, they would be fined, they would take draft picks, they hit the cap, whatever. This is such a terrible example for young coaches in this profession. … To me, this situation is like having an affair on your honeymoon.”
NCAA Gets Involved
In a statement to The Athletic on Jan. 27, an NCAA spokesperson confirmed it is “involved in the matter.” The NCAA has been in contact with Clemson about Swinney’s comments.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey have also been made aware of the situation.
“I’m gonna let the NCAA handle this, and I’m gonna let them do their job. I’ll say this, this shouldn’t be a three-year or three-month investigation. This might take three days. They’re either going to tell the truth or they’re gonna lie.”
Clemson submitted an official complaint to the NCAA on Jan. 16.
Here’s how the NCAA defines tampering in bylaw 13.1.1.4:
“An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution’s athletics interests shall not communicate or make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA Division I institution, or any individual associated with the student-athlete, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining authorization through the notification of transfer process.”
Swinney’s public callout is significant given that Clemson historically hasn’t used the transfer portal much. In December 2024, Swinney signed his first non-quarterback portal player in receiver Tristan Smith.
The Tigers signed nine players from the portal for 2026, including SMU running back Chris Johnson Jr., Oklahoma defensive lineman Markus Strong and edge rushers CJ Wesley and London Merritt.
Ole Miss hasn’t responded to the allegations. The Rebels signed the nation’s No. 2 transfer portal class per 247Sports, right behind Lane Kiffin’s top-ranked LSU class.
