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The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes last week to end the college football season.
Just one day before the transfer portal window closed for players competing in the national championship, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney sounded the alarm about what he sees as a lack of governance in the sport.
During a wide-ranging press conference, Swinney specifically expressed concerns about Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding’s alleged repeated and unauthorized contact with Clemson linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Swinney suggested that Golding was working to get Ferrelli’s name into the transfer portal.
On Tuesday, the NCAA contacted Clemson about Swinney’s allegations and launched an investigation into the matter.
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney details the transfer portal events involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli while sitting next to athletic director Graham Neff during a Jan. 23, 2026, news conference at the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson, South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“The NCAA will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expect the full cooperation of all involved as required by NCAA rules,” NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan said in the statement obtained by The Athletic. “We will not be commenting further on any ongoing investigation.”
The newly adopted 15-day window for other FBS and FCS athletes, including graduate transfers, now opens the day after the CFP quarterfinals conclude. There are built-in exceptions for players experiencing a head coaching change.
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“This is a whole different level of manipulation,” Swinney said in reference to Ole Miss’s alleged communications with Ferrelli. “It’s total hypocrisy… This is a really sad situation. We have a broken system, and if manipulation has no consequences, then we have no rules and no governance.”
Ferrelli, a highly sought-after recruit, chose to enter the portal in January. He visited Ole Miss, but eventually accepted a contract and enrolled in classes at Clemson. However, shortly after classes began at Clemson, Swinney said the football team’s general manager, Jordan Sorrells, said, “Ole Miss was going hard” after the linebacker.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney watches during an NCAA college football game against Louisville on Nov. 2, 2024, in Clemson, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Sorrells later asked an Ole Miss official to get the school to end all communication with Ferrelli. According to Swinney, the Ole Miss official made it clear that he did not support tampering. On January 15, Ferrelli requested to be entered into the portal with the intention of transferring to Ole Miss.
The next day, Clemson filed a complaint with the NCAA detailing alleged “flagrant” tampering. Last Friday, Clemson athletic director Graham Neff made it clear that legal action was not out of the question.
“I’m not trying to fire anyone, but when will enough be enough?” Swinney said. “If we have rules, and manipulation is a rule, then there should be a consequence for that. And shame on the adults if we’re not going to hold each other accountable.”
Pete Golding watches during warmups prior to Ole Miss’ game against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Petre Thomas/USA TODAY Sports)
Swinney expressed concern about the message uncontrolled tampering could send to future college football players.
“It’s not about a linebacker at Clemson,” he said. “I don’t want anyone on our team who doesn’t want to be here. But it’s about the next kid and the next kid and the message that’s sent with blatant manipulation and allowed to happen without consequences. It’s not about our program. It’s about college football.”
Swinney said the current climate of college football invites misconduct and must be corrected. The two-time national champion coach supported moving the transfer portal window from January to the spring. He also called for spring football to resemble an NFL team’s OTAs and proposed limits on free transfers.
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to the Ole Miss athletic department for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
A record 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS student-athletes entered the transfer portal during the 2024-25 academic year.
