Clemson blew the whistle on Ole Miss football and the NCAA heard it.
The NCAA enforcement staff opened a tampering investigation into Ole Miss on Jan. 23, the same day that Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney accused his counterpart Pete Golding of poaching linebacker Luke Ferrelli, according to ESPN. The investigation reportedly remains in the early stages.
Ferrelli transferred from California, enrolled at Clemson and left for Ole Miss. He won 2025 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
An NCAA assistant director of enforcement emailed an Ole Miss official on Jan. 23, a couple of hours before a news conference in which Swinney blasted Golding for alleged cheating.
“Thanks for speaking with us earlier today,” the associate director wrote in the email Ole Miss senior associate athletic director for compliance. “As we discussed, the enforcement staff is opening an investigation into the football program at the University of Mississippi. Additionally, please let this email serve as a reminder that the institution and its representatives have an affirmative and automatic duty under Bylaw 19.2 to preserve all relevant materials.”
The NCAA requested forensic imaging of Ole Miss coach Pete Golding’s phone as well as several other named members of the staff who might have contacted Ferrelli.
The same request was made of Ferrelli’s phone records from December 2025 through January 2026.
The lines of tampering have been blurred further than ever by the transfer portal and NIL, but Swinney called Ole Miss’ recruitment of Ferrelli a “straightforward case of tampering.”
Golding replied that there are “two sides to every story.”
In this case, Ferrelli signed a contract, enrolled in classes and began offseason football training with Clemson before winding up at Ole Miss.
Swinney said that on Jan. 14 agent Ryan Williams contacted Clemson general manager Jordan Sorrells to say that “Ole Miss was going hard” after Ferrelli.
Sorrells contacted Ole Miss general manager Austin Thomas and asked that the Rebels cease further communication with Ferrelli.
Golding allegedly asked Ferrelli what buyout number Clemson included in his NIL deal and sent a photo of a $1 million contract.
