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The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes last week to cap 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 raised concerns about Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding’s alleged repeated, unauthorized contact with Clemson linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Swinney suggested Golding was working to get Ferrelli’s name on the transfer portal.
On Tuesday, the NCAA contacted Clemson about Swinney’s allegations and opened an investigation into the matter.
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney details transfer portal events involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli while seated next to athletic director Graham Neff during a news conference on Jan. 23, 2026, 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 all credible allegations of tampering and expect full cooperation from 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 comment further on the ongoing investigation.”
The newly enacted 15-day window for other FBS and FCS athletes, including graduate transfers, now opens the day after the CFP quarterfinals end. There are built-in exceptions for players experiencing a head coaching change.
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“This is a whole other level of manipulation,” Swinney said, referring to Ole Miss’ alleged communications with Ferrelli. “It’s total hypocrisy … This is a really sad situation. We have a broken system, and if there are no consequences for manipulation, then we have no rules and we have no governance.”
Ferrelli, a highly sought after recruit, chose to enter the portal in January. He visited Ole Miss, but eventually agreed to a contract and enrolled in classes at Clemson. Shortly after classes at Clemson started, however, Swinney said the football team’s general manager Jordan Sorrells said, “Ole Miss went hard” after the linebacker.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney looks on during an NCAA college football game against Louisville on November 2, 2024 in Clemson, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Sorrells later asked an Ole Miss official to have the school end all communications with Ferrelli. According to Swinney, the Ole Miss official made it clear he did not support tampering. On January 15, Ferrelli asked to be admitted to the portal with the intention of transferring to Ole Miss.
The next day, Clemson filed a complaint with the NCAA detailing alleged “blatant” manipulation. As of last Friday, Clemson athletic director Graham Neff made it clear that legal action was not off the table.
“I’m not trying to get anyone fired, but when is enough 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 don’t 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 unchecked tampering could send to future college football players.
“This is not about a linebacker at Clemson,” he said. “I don’t want anybody on our team that doesn’t want to be here. But it’s about the next kid and the next kid and the message being sent with just blatant manipulation is allowed to happen without consequence. This is not about our program. This is about college football.”
Swinney said the current college football climate invites abuse and needs to be fixed. The two-time national championship-winning coach backed 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 restrictions on free transfers.
Pakinomist 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.
