Steve Spurrier Sends Strong Message to Clemson HC Dabo Swinney

When asked about Dabo Swinney’s recent remarks about alleged tampering in the transfer portal, ex-South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier didn’t sugarcoat his response.

During a Zoom call before his induction into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, Spurrier was asked if he had any thoughts on Swinney’s complaints and plan for a better college sports calendar. His remarks were blunt, calling into question the entire structure of the NCAA and college athletics at large.

“I thought by now somebody would’ve told Dabo there ain’t no rules anymore,” the legendary coach said. “There’s no rules. We talk about it all the time now. They’re still on the books, I guess back there [at Clemson], about ‘you can’t do this after this date or that date.’”

Spurrier continued by pointing to recent eligibility situations as evidence of how confusing and inconsistent the modern system has become.

“Gosh, in basketball they’ve got pros coming back to play in college there,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re ever going to enforce any rules now or not.”

In the past month, several high-profile college programs have added former NBA players (Charles Bediako at Alabama and James Nnaji at Baylor, just to name a couple), causing outrage among fans of the sport and the general public. Many believe that the line between collegiate and professional athletes has been blurred, potentially derailing a sport that was built on a foundation of education.

In yet another challenging scenario for the NCAA, players who have not enrolled in college or played in the NBA but are still within five years of their high school graduation have begun competing. Current college coaches have complained about the NCAA’s lack of enforcement on both player eligibility and the transfer portal regulations.

For Spurrier, though, the central part of his perspective is adaptation.

“I think Dabo has learned now that he’s got to start paying his players just like everybody else is, or you’ll get left behind,” he said. “You can complain, but I don’t know how much good it’s going to do.”

Swinney’s original complaints centered around the illegal re-recruitment of promising young linebacker Luke Ferrelli, despite a contract being signed and classes beginning. His disgruntled comments began a national media conversation about the rule enforcement and potential widespread tampering in the transfer portal. But Spurrier made it clear that those debates are likely fruitless in today’s landscape.

“There’s no rules,” he said. “Somebody [should] tell Dabo there’s no rules now.”

The NCAA has yet to comment publicly on Swinney’s tampering allegations, other than that they are investigating Ferrelli’s transfer from Clemson to Ole Miss. Clemson athletic director Graham Neff noted during Swinney’s original press conference that Clemson is willing to support the NCAA during that investigation.

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