Urban Meyer claims $36 million college football coach should be investigated

Luke Ferrelli, a 6-3, 230-pound freshman linebacker, broke out in his first season at Cal in 2025, recording 91 tackles (second on the team), five tackles for loss, one sack, and an interception, earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

After the regular season, Ferrelli entered the transfer portal, and within a week, Clemson said he was enrolled, attending classes, participating in workouts, had secured housing, and was operating as a Clemson student-athlete.

Just days later, Ferrelli re-entered the portal (reported Jan. 22) and committed to Ole Miss. Sources allege the reversal involved continued contact from Ole Miss personnel while Ferrelli was already with Clemson, including a photo Ferrelli reportedly showed Clemson staff of a large check he said was connected to Ole Miss.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney detailed the sequence of events during a Jan. 23 press availability and confirmed Clemson filed a formal complaint with the NCAA on Jan. 16, accusing Ole Miss of “blatant” and “straightforward” tampering. Swinney specifically named head coach Pete Golding and general manager Austin Thomas.

Swinney said the communications included text messages and phone calls, including calls from Ole Miss players, and that Clemson provided documentation and timestamps to the NCAA. Athletic director Graham Neff has since warned that legal action is being considered if no enforcement follows.

On Wednesday, former head coach Urban Meyer, on The Triple Option podcast, said if Swinney’s evidence is solid, the case “should be a one-week investigation,” urging direct campus interviews and a swift outcome.

"If this is all true, and it sounds like Dabo has the goods right there, … this should be a one-week investigation,” Meyer said.

“You go on the campus (at) Ole Miss, you meet with the athletic director and the coach and say … ‘We have facts here, you can’t lie to the NCAA, and if you (do) you can’t coach.’ The investigation is then over. But then they’ll hire Tom Mars, that (famed sports) attorney, they’ll fight it, and I guess they’ll win. It really bothers me.

“If nothing happens, there’s no governance, there’s no rules, and it’ll be the most chaotic … which it already is. So I’m disappointed... There are no rules, the NCAA is gone, it’s over,” Meyer added. "Law and order without consequences is not law and order. It’s chaos."

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding. — Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding runs off the field during warmups before the CFP Fiesta Bowl at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pete Golding rose through the college ranks as a defensive coach with stops at Delta State, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Miss, and UTSA before joining Nick Saban’s Alabama staff in 2018 as inside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. After building a reputation as a respected SEC defensive mind in Tuscaloosa, he took over as defensive coordinator at Ole Miss in 2023.

Ole Miss promoted Golding to head coach on Nov. 30, 2025, following Lane Kiffin’s departure, signing him to a deal that pays approximately $6.8 million in his first season, with annual raises of about $100,000 through the 2030 season for a total value near $36 million.

The tampering allegations introduce immediate reputational and operational risks as Golding begins his first season leading an SEC program. The situation carries the potential for internal distractions, recruiting fallout, and legal or contractual implications depending on investigative findings, along with the possibility of more severe NCAA penalties.

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