Dabo Swinney blasts alleged tampering, says college football is broken
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The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes last week to cap off the college football season.
Just one day before the transfer portal window closed for players competing in the national championship, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney sounded the alarm over what he saw as a lack of governance in the sport.
During a wide-ranging press conference, Swinney specifically expressed concern about Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding’s alleged repeated, unauthorized communications with Clemson linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Swinney suggested Golding was working to get Ferrelli’s name into the transfer portal.
On Tuesday, the NCAA contacted Clemson about Swinney’s accusations and opened an investigation into the matter.
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney details transfer portal events involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli sitting next to athletic director Graham Neff during a press conference at the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson, South Carolina, on January 23, 2026. (Ken Ruinard/USA Today Co/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“The NCAA will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expects full cooperation from all involved as required by NCAA rules,” Jon Duncan, the NCAA’s vice president of enforcement, said in a statement obtained by the agency. he said. Athletic. “We will not be commenting further on any ongoing investigation.”
The newly adopted 15-day window for other FBS and FCS athletes, including graduate transfers, now opens the day after the conclusion of the CFP quarterfinals. There are built-in exceptions for players experiencing a head coach change.
2026 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRANSFER PORTAL: TOP 10 PLAYERS CURRENT
“This is a whole other level of tampering,” Swinney said, referring to Ole Miss’ alleged communication with Ferrelli. “This is pure hypocrisy. … This is truly a sad state of affairs. We have a broken system, and if there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules and no governance.”
Ferrelli, a highly sought-after recruit, chose to enter the portal in January. He visited Ole Miss but eventually agreed to a contract and enrolled in classes at Clemson. But shortly after classes started at Clemson, Swinney said football team general manager Jordan Sorrells told him after the linebacker that “Ole Miss was struggling.”
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney watches the NCAA college football game against Louisville on November 2, 2024 in Clemson, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Sorrells later asked an Ole Miss official to end all communication with the school from Ferrelli. According to Swinney, an Ole Miss official made clear that he did not support tampering. On January 15, Ferrelli requested to enter the portal with the intention of transferring to Ole Miss.
The next day, Clemson filed a complaint with the NCAA detailing allegations of “blatant” tampering. As of last Friday, Clemson athletic director Graham Neff made it clear that legal action would not be off the table.
“I’m not trying to fire anyone, but when is enough enough?” said Swinney. “If we have rules and tampering is a rule, then there must be a consequence. And shame on adults if we don’t hold each other accountable.”
Pete Golding watches warm-ups before Ole Miss’ game against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Petre Thomas/USA TODAY Sports)
Swinney expressed concern about the message uncontrolled tampering could send to future college football players.
“This is not about the linebacker at Clemson,” he said. “I don’t want anyone on our team who doesn’t want to be here. But this is about the next kid, the next kid, and letting the message sent by a blatant tackle go unnoticed. This isn’t about our program. This is about college football.”
Swinney said the current college football environment invites abuse and needs to be fixed. The two-time national championship-winning coach supported moving the transfer portal window from January to the spring. He also called for spring football to be similar to NFL team OTAs and suggested limits on free transfers.
Fox News Digital contacted Ole Miss’ athletic department for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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A record 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS student-athletes entered the transfer portal in the 2024-25 academic year.
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