Dabo Swinney Directly Accuses Ole Miss’s Pete Golding of Tampering in Presser

No one would call Clemson and Ole Miss rivals, but they just might be after Friday.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney publicly accused Ole Miss coach Pete Golding of tampering with linebacker Luke Ferrelli despite the existence of a contract between Clemson and Ferrelli—making one of college football’s strongest tampering allegations yet at an offseason press conference.

Swinney told reporters that Golding texted Ferrelli—who transferred to play for the Tigers after a strong 2025 at California—in the middle of an 8 a.m. class, telling him he knew he was signed and asking him what the buyout was on his contract.

“We turned everything into the NCAA,” Swinney said via Grace Raynor of The Athletic. “There’s tampering and then there’s blatant tampering.”

Much of the NCAA’s enforcement power has been hacked away in court over the years, and its impotence in the face of tampering has long been criticized by coaches. Few have done so this bluntly, however.

Golding, 41, has only been the Rebels’ head coach since Nov. 30. Taking over for Lane Kiffin, he led Ole Miss to wins over Tulane in the College Football Playoff first round and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl before losing to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

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