Clemson Transfer LB Luke Ferrelli Officially Re-Enters Portal

Well, it's official. The Clemson Tigers have now lost one of their biggest transfer portal additions in Cal linebacker Luke Ferrelli, who is expected to flip to Ole Miss after a wild sequence of events over the past week.

While many knew this was going to happen, it wasn't certain until CBS Sports' Matt Zenits first reported the move on Wednesday morning, effectively ending what was supposed to be a major offseason win for Dabo Swinney's staff.

Ex-Cal star linebacker Luke Ferrelli, who signed with Clemson earlier this portal cycle, is expected to re-enter the transfer portal, sources tell @CBSSports.

Ole Miss is expected to be a team to watch with him, per sources. Posted 91 tackles as a redshirt freshman this season. pic.twitter.com/2Q1QbYNTE2
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 21, 2026

What makes this situation so unprecedented is that Ferrelli wasn't a silent commitment or handshake addition — he was already signed and enrolled at Clemson, participating in team activities, going to classes and even listed in the University's public student directory, according to Tiger Illustrated.

From Clemson's perspective, this was a done deal.

The Tigers believed they had secured a plug-and-play linebacker to help stabilize a position group that has already been hit hard by attrition this offseason, including the loss of Wade Woodaz to the NFL Draft and Jamal Anderson and Dee Crayton to the portal.

What Clemson did not have finalized, however, was a signed NIL or revenue-share agreement with Ferrelli, according to Tiger Illustrated. That absence isn't uncommon, as negotiations over contractual fine print can take time. The standout linebacker did, in fact, sign his scholarship papers, which officially removed him from the transfer portal. Had a revenue-sharing agreement been signed, Clemson would have been in a position to pursue damages directly from Ferrelli.

Instead, the University is examining legal options involving Ole Miss, based on the premise that Clemson suffered losses when Ferrelli announced his intent to depart just hours before the portal closed last Friday, and because Ole Miss allegedly pursued him while he was already enrolled at Clemson and no longer in the portal -- also known as tampering.

There were also several signs foreshadowing his departure leading up to Wednesday's report. Ferrelli quietly removed all Clemson references from his social media last Friday and even went so far as to travel back across the country to his home in San Diego, where he still resides following his departure.

LB Luke Ferrelli, who transferred to Clemson last week, has taken the “Clemson FB” out of his bio.

A complicated situation is emerging. pic.twitter.com/aHpw7KgNiA
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) January 17, 2026

Looking back on this situation, experiences like this are probably why Swinney never used the portal much and why legendary Coach Nick Saban retired in 2024.

Clemson coaches viewed Ferrelli as someone who could compete for immediate snaps and potentially line up alongside Sammy Brown in the heart of the defense coming off an ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign. Instead, the Tigers are now left scrambling once again at a position that was already thin.

Ferrelli's situation wasn't just a recruiting loss; it was a procedural nightmare for the NCAA, and it goes to show how volatile and unpredictable the modern era of the transfer portal and NIL has become.