Ole Miss under investigation by NCAA after Clemson reports tampering

NCAA Investigates Ole Miss Football Following Clemson’s Accusations

Clemson has raised concerns about Ole Miss football, and the NCAA is looking into it. On January 23, the NCAA enforcement team began a fraud investigation into Ole Miss, coinciding with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s claims that Ole Miss coach Pete Golding had improperly recruited linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Reports indicate that the investigation is still in its early phases.

Ferrelli, who transferred from California, initially enrolled at Clemson before switching to Ole Miss, where he later earned the title of ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2025.

The NCAA’s assistant director of enforcement sent an email to Ole Miss officials on the same day, just hours before Swinney’s press conference that accused Golding of misconduct. In the email, the official thanked the senior athletic director of compliance for their earlier conversation and stated that an investigation into Ole Miss’ football program had commenced. The email also emphasized the university’s obligation to preserve all relevant materials in line with Bylaw 19.2.

Furthermore, the NCAA requested forensic imaging of Golding’s cell phone and other staff members who may have interacted with Ferrelli. They also sought access to Ferrelli’s phone records from December 2025 to January 2026.

Swinney characterized Ole Miss’ recruitment of Ferrelli as a “clear case of tampering,” despite the fact that the transfer portal and NIL deals have complicated the definition of tampering in recent times.

In response, Golding noted that “there are two sides to every story.” In this instance, Ferrelli had signed a contract, begun classes, and started offseason training at Clemson before ultimately transferring to Ole Miss.

Swinney mentioned that his agent, Ryan Williams, reached out to Clemson’s general manager, Jordan Sorrells, on January 14 to inform him that “Ole Miss was making a strong push” for Ferrelli.

Sorrells then contacted Ole Miss general manager Austin Thomas, urging them to halt any further engagement with Ferrelli. Allegations have surfaced that Golding inquired about the buyout terms in Clemson’s NIL contract with Ferrelli and even shared a photo of a $1 million contract.