NCAA Investigating Dabo Swinney's Tampering Accusations Against Ole Miss Football

The NCAA is getting involved following Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney's tell-all surrounding Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels' "tampering" for Cal Bears linebacker transfer Luke Ferrelli.

During a press conference that took college football last Friday, Swinney walked reporters through the situation where Ferrelli initially departed the Cal Bears for the NCAA Transfer Portal - then signed with Clemson.

Following a short stint with Clemson where he was enrolled with the university, Ferrelli then elected to to re-enter the free agent market where he signed with Ole Miss.

“There’s tampering, and then there’s blatant tampering,” Swinney said. “Tampering 101 is when you’re talking to kids who aren’t in the portal. Tampering 201 is when you’ve already negotiated the deal with the kids not in the portal.

“Tampering 301 is when you’ve got a kid who’s going in the portal to sign somewhere, move there, going to classes and you’re texting them while they’re in class. That’s like a whole ‘nother level of tampering.”

Now, according to The Athletic, the NCAA is getting involved and will be investigating the situation that's unfolded.

Dabo Swinney made headlines last week when he accused Ole Miss coach Pete Golding of “blatant” tampering.

Now, the NCAA is looking into the Clemson coach's claims, the organization confirmed to The Athletic.

More from @gmraynor ⤵️https://t.co/qPbwfPYd6X pic.twitter.com/1FgTh16z1z
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) January 27, 2026

"The NCAA will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expect full cooperation from all involved as is required by NCAA rules," the organization said to The Athletic's Grace Raynor. "We will not comment further on any ongoing investigation."

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum recently described Swinney's antics as "whiny" amid his tell-all saga on the tampering accusations.

“Dabo use phrases that, while legitimate in sound, don’t really matter much anymore,” Finebaum continued. “Like, ‘we’re going to turn you in.’ I mean, that used to be the golden phrase, ‘if you do that one more time.’ … And it really doesn’t matter what he says. He just, he still comes off the same way — he comes off whiny and out of touch.”

Now, after Clemson's formal complaint, the NCAA will be involved as they look to formally investigate Ole Miss amid alleged tampering for one of the program's top Transfer Portal signees.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Football's Transfer Portal Class Reaches New Heights After Latest Addition

Ole Miss Football Enters Race for Prized LSU Tigers, USC Trojans Priority Target

'Growing Optimism' That Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Will Play in 2026

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.